Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "Family cannot make up for the insufficiency of the education system"

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan discussed the topic of "How Should the Right Education System Be?" in detail in the program "Door to Mind with Prof. Nevzat Tarhan" broadcast on Dost TV and Dost FM. Tarhan stated that "At this time, social norms, family norms, and moral norms have changed in society. Due to these changing norms, the family began to be unable to make up for the insufficiencies of the education system. At the moment, generations that are completely the product of popular culture are growing up." Tarhan also drew attention to the fact that education should be in accordance with the cultural codes of the society.

"Generations that are the product of popular culture are growing up"

Stating that Türkiye has taken very important steps in the defense industry, health and many other fields in recent years, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out that Türkiye is outdated in the education system. Tarhan expressed that "We have to accept that. If we cannot be self-critical, we cannot catch up with the times. There is an education system that is the opposite of the education system in the world. In other words, the philosophy of the education system is wrong, the philosophy of science is wrong. A system without a philosophy does not work well. It looks like as if you are going to build a building, and the project is defective. If there is a defective project, that building will collapse at the first tremor. The columns and beams are wrong, and its calculations are wrong. In other words, the production turns out to be wrong. If the project of a factory is wrong, both the production and the product are wrong. Previously, society and the family were covering up the insufficiencies and mistakes of the education system. Now at this time in society, social norms, family norms, moral norms have changed. Due to these changing norms, the family began to be unable to make up for the insufficiences of the education system. At the moment, generations that are completely the product of popular culture are growing up."

"Education should be in accordance with the cultural codes of the society"

Stating that education should be in accordance with the cultural codes of the society, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan expressed that “Our current education system, in terms of technology, is intended to do something in many ways; however, its philosophy is wrong, because people who grow up are not people of our own values and our own society. In other words, intelligent and hardworking people, who are the source of a society, go abroad. We export brains all over the world. Our education system is raising young generations, but the upper class of the younger generation is going to another world. This is an education system that needs to be questioned. It is not just a matter of curriculum. If education is in accordance with the cultural codes of the society, that education system will work. Just as there is a blood group incompatibility when a tissue is transplanted into the body, the body rejects it. That is, if it does not match the genetic structure, it rejects. Therefore, it needs constant special attention. It is necessary to strive so that it does not refuse for life. Since the current education system does not fit our cultural fabric, our cultural fabric rejects our education system. This refusal was compensated by society and the family, and now that compensation has been lifted..."

"The human brain learns in a fun and disciplined environment"

Stating that it is necessary to work with love in a disciplined manner, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan made the following remarks: "The human brain learns in a fun and disciplined environment. Permanent learning is provided. You write in the sand, and it immediately falls apart. If you write it in stone, it will remain. In the brain, when the information is written in chemical letters, it is as if it is written in stone, but when it is written in electrical letters, it is forgotten and goes away quickly. In other words, short learnings, learning that is not repeated or does not involve emotion, is written in electrical letters and disappears. Learning in which emotions participate becomes permanent learning. Fun here means learning with pleasure and a sense of flow. It is to work with love, and in a disciplined way."

"Our current education system gives an opportunity to totalitarian thinking"

Pointing out that there should be a free market of ideas for the transformation in education to occur, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that "If the market of ideas is free and if ideas compete, the best quality ideas will work. It will be the same in education. It will give an opportunity to free thought. Our current education system allows for totalitarian thinking. In other words, everyone should think the same way, everyone should believe in the same sacred beliefs, and everyone should act the same way. We have a fear-oriented education system. There is no education system with an official ideology. There is no official ideology in the constitution of any developed country. In other words, the official ideology does not say, ‘I am raising this type of person.’ The sacred of this age is universal human rights."

"Human abilities do not develop in a comfortable environment"

Stating that children learn moral norms with the traditional culture of Anatolian wisdom, Tarhan said that "The insuffieciencies of our education system were made up for by family and society. For example, parents would make their children work. Children would work in their father's business, or they worked in a factory. Children were learning budget management there. In that family, children learned not to lie, to keep their word, moral norms, social norms, shames, prohibitions, and many other similar values. It is a traditional culture that comes from Anatolian wisdom. At the moment, our fathers were the generation of the Ottoman period, and then the cultural transmission was somehow transferred with families, the environment and the society. After the 1990s, the cultural transmission of the family and society stopped. In other words, if parents set an example for a child to be honest, the child sees it as foolishness. Such a generation is coming. Since parents are the second and third generation, they raise them in a comfortable environment with the intention ‘We have suffered, and our children should not suffer.’ In a comfortable environment, people's abilities do not develop."

"It is not enough to be smart and hardworking, but it is also necessary to teach how to be a good person"

Emphasizing that it is necessary to be a good person as well as being smart and hardworking, Tarhan stated that "Global viruses have now entered our society and our family. We definitely need to develop antibodies against this. In other words, to keep your word, not to lie, to be honest, to be hardworking, to be kind, and to be a good person... For example, when we raise a person, we raise them with two paradigms. We raise them to be smart and hardworking. That is how parents are raising their children now. That is how the current education system educates children. The child becomes smart, studies, and becomes a chemical engineer. They become a computer engineer, they become smart, and they become a hard worker. They become the kind of person that our education system wants. However, after graduating, they become a chemical engineer, but they produce synthetic drugs. A computer engineer starts hacking. Therefore, it is not enough to be smart and hardworking. It is also necessary to teach how to be a good person."

"The 20th century was the age of information, and the 21st century must be the age of wisdom"

Emphasizing that some skills will gain importance rather than the importance of knowledge, Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows: "Right now, the only thing AI cannot do is have areas of social and emotional skills. People who are good at social and emotional skills will make a difference. Social leadership will be precious. Therefore, the wisdom of people will be very important. Wisdom as a 21st Century skill will be crucial. The 20th century was the age of information, and the 21st century must be the age of wisdom. Wisdom, that is, the wisdom of Socrates and the wisdom of Plato… These are universal wisdoms. These wisdoms are also the wisdom of the heavenly teachings and the teachings of the Qur'an."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)