Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was a guest at the event organized by the Van Provincial Directorate of National Education. Tarhan made evaluations within the scope of “New Truths in Education and 21st Century Skills.”
“Values are the glues that hold societies together”
Referring to values holding societies together, Tarhan said: “In 21st Century skills, value-laden education is important, not just value education. Values are like the glues that hold societies together. Many rights such as the right to life, the right to trial, and the right to travel are fundamental human rights. Human rights are like skin; they exist because one is human, but other detailed rights are like clothes and can change according to the truths of this era. When we do not accept this, when we restrict it, you miss the competition and innovation; that is why critical thinking is one of the most important 21st Century skills here.”
“The scientific method of values education is positive psychology”
Highlighting that providing values education through a Positive Psychology course is an achievement, Tarhan said: “The scientific method of values education is positive psychology. We used to teach authoritarian values education given by the classical patriarchal culture. Children were not listening and not choosing it as an elective course, but the world found a solution to this. In the early 2000s, the West observed that welfare levels had risen significantly, yet happiness scores remained the same; crime, violence, and suicide had increased. On top of all this, a study was conducted to understand why people could not be happy despite becoming wealthier. A grant budget of 5 million dollars was given to Seligman and his team for the research. As a result, the research continued between 2005-2008. The research data was first reported in 2008, and according to the data results, a positive psychology congress was held in 2009. The first popular equivalent of positive psychology is referred to as the science of happiness. Congresses started in 2009 and are still continuing intensely. When I noticed and learned about this situation, I examined it and saw that it had taken our Anatolian wisdom and Eastern wisdom, systematized them, developed a method, and called it positive psychology. Values are taught there; there is a gratitude module, a compassion module, sharing, and conciliation; these are taught, and they are already among our truths, these are our cultural values. I then published my books Mesnevi Terapi, Yunus Terapi. You say you rediscovered this, but in fact, Mevlana and Yunus said these things a long time ago, and it was the seeds they sowed, that cultural change, upon which the Ottoman Empire was built; economics and politics came after that. As Üsküdar Üniversitesi, we added the Positive Psychology course to our curriculum in 2013 and started teaching it as a compulsory course. After the course, there was a 20% increase in children's emotional intelligence; this is an achievement, and our values education should be conducted in this manner.”