A workshop titled “Gifted and Talented Children” was organized in Samsun by the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Center for Research and Practice in the Education of Gifted and Talented Individuals (ÜSYEM).
Organized in cooperation with the Provincial Directorate of National Education and the Metropolitan Municipality, the workshop aimed to understand the potential of gifted and talented children and provide the necessary support and guidance to help them realize that potential.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop held at the Şehit Ömer Halisdemir Multipurpose Hall, ÜSYEM Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meryem Vural Batık stated that they would explore ways to most effectively reveal the potential of gifted and talented children in collaboration with academics, teachers, and parents.
Batık expressed their desire to establish strong partnerships between mainstream schools and science and arts centers within the framework of Turkey’s national education vision, adding:
“Through discussions and evaluations held during the workshop, we will assess the current state of education for gifted and talented individuals, analyze existing obstacles together, and explore how general education schools can play a more effective role in this process.”
Deputy Director of National Education Mehmet İrfan Yetik emphasized that gifted children represent the future of Türkiye and continued:
“Gifted children, when discovered in time, can become individuals who shape the future of our country in fields such as science, art, and technology. Science and arts centers are schools established for this purpose. Initially, students are directed to tablet-based assessments, followed by intelligence tests or evaluations in visual arts and music fields.
Countries that identify gifted children early are always the ones that progress further. We are striving on this path. In the past, Samsun had only one science center. Today, we serve gifted children in six centers, supporting a total of 1,823 gifted and specially talented students. If we can help open the way for them and prepare them for life by recognizing their differences, we will be making the most of their abilities. They truly are the future of our nation. Hopefully, today’s workshop will contribute to this goal.”
Head of the Metropolitan Municipality Department of Health and Social Services, Eyüp Çakır, remarked that gifted and talented children are often perceived and treated differently in society.
Çakır said, “Once we understand gifted and talented children, it becomes our shared responsibility to help them reach their potential and become individuals who greatly contribute to our city and our country. As a municipality, we try to support not only people with disabilities and the elderly but also all individuals with special needs. As you know, our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared this year the ‘Year of the Family.’ Therefore, we must stand by families in areas where they face difficulties.”
ÜSYEM Deputy Director Dr. Melek Baba Öztürk also gave a presentation outlining the aims of the workshop.
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