My Economy - Vahap Munyar - December 16, 2025 - https://www.ekonomim.com/kose-yazisi/harvarddaki-projesi-tetikledi-koda-ile-107-bin-cocuga-koyde-daha-iyi-egitim-katkisi-verdi/862135

MARMARA homes moderately damaged by the earthquake Mine Ekinci's family moved to his grandmother's village in Yalova. The family settled there completely from that day forward. Mine Ekinci, He moved to Istanbul after being accepted to Robert College.

She studied political science and international relations at university. While at university, she froze her enrollment and went to France, where she worked for a year at an education center for people with disabilities. After returning to Boğaziçi University, she gave private lessons. She became increasingly focused on education. She participated in projects for some schools in Istanbul. Then she started to focus on village schools. She met with teachers in her own village and other village schools.

Mine Ekinci, She went to Harvard University (Boston, USA) for graduate studies, choosing educational policies. During her graduate studies at Harvard, she took a course on social entrepreneurship. "Support Project for Village Teachers" He wrote it. This project gave him a clearer idea, and after returning to Türkiye in 2016... "Village Schools Change Network"He spearheaded the establishment of KODA.

Recently, the CEO of Borusan CAT announced that he will take over the role of CEO of Borusan Holding from April 1, 2026. Ozgur GunaydinI received an invitation from:

• Established with the aim of ensuring that every child growing up in villages and rural neighborhoods of Türkiye has access to quality education and receives holistic support for their development, the Village Schools Transformation Network (KODA) is celebrating its 9th anniversary.
• Through its work with 9 teachers and teacher candidates and 1500 parents to date, KODA has made it possible for 107 children studying in villages to receive a higher quality education.
• The presentation will highlight KODA's strong communities built with village teachers since 2016, its journey of preparing teacher candidates for teaching in villages, and how it supports the active participation of parents in village education processes.

I arrived a little early at the address given in Galata for the meeting, and the first people I encountered were... Özgür Günaydın, A KODA volunteer and Board Member who has held senior management positions for many years at Anadolu Holding and its affiliated companies. Tugrul Agirbas ve Mine Ekinci It was.

Mine Ekinci And I heard KODA's story at that meeting. Ekinci, He described KODA as follows:

-          We are not a charity organization. We are focused on a more systemic solution. We support village teachers and families in villages. We are moving forward with the goal of transforming education policies and institutions.

He noted that it is a process that increases teachers' motivation and supports their personal and professional development:

-          We work with faculties of education. Initially, we started with teachers in the profession, with teacher communities. Then we realized that teachers need to see this world before they are appointed. For prospective teachers... "First step" We created a course called [course name].

Founder and General Coordinator of KODA Ekinci, "Village schools" He emphasized that when the term is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is aid work:

-          Beyond simply helping village schools, having teachers, parents, and perhaps various volunteers and organizations providing support from within or outside the villages, truly transforms the lives of children living in these communities.

He emphasized that KODA was founded precisely with this understanding:

-          aiming to prevent village teachers from becoming professionally and socially isolated. "Teacher Communities Program" They reached a total of 3,446 teachers in 28 regions.

He quoted a village teacher's experience:

• “The curious looks and smiles in the children's eyes motivate me greatly. The bond I form with them strengthens me on my professional journey.”

He focused on the program they carried out after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes:

- "Post-Disaster Rural Education Support Program" The project aimed to strengthen educational environments in regions deeply affected by the disaster. In 25 regions, the impact of the disaster on education was mitigated with the participation of 327 mentees and 172 mentor teachers.

At this point, he included the impression of one of the teachers in the program:

• “I learned how to overcome the problems I might encounter while bringing my own idea to life. I took a stronger step into teaching.”

For years, the need for teacher training programs has been emphasized in our country, and some steps have been taken.

The data shows that KODA has made significant progress in this area as a volunteer-based civil society initiative over the past 9 years…

The fact that 9 teachers and teacher candidates contribute to the education of 107 students in village schools demonstrates this…

My perspective on village schools has changed.

 KODA Founder and General Coordinator Mine Ekinci, They reported that their work with universities on teacher candidates is continuing and expanding.

- "First Step to the Village Program" With this initiative, 2,435 prospective teachers from 27 universities gained teaching experience in villages before graduation.

He quoted a participant verbatim after their experience on this matter:

• “Thanks to the program, I met students face-to-face as a teacher for the first time. I overcame my nervousness, and my perspective on village schools has completely changed.”

"Trainer Training" He mentioned the program:

-          To strengthen the personal and professional capacities of teachers in villages "Trainer Training" Within this scope, 200 teachers participated in the trainings. These trainings created a sustainable teacher support network at the local level.

 They rolled up their sleeves for 'Outdoor Learning Areas'. 

KODA General Coordinator Mine Ekinci, They noted that in 9 years, they contributed to providing better education for 107,000 children through 9,000 teachers and teacher candidates, 1500 parents, and 2,500 village headmen.

-          KODA is taking more effective steps in its 10th year. "Village Education Support Box" It aims to meet the classroom material needs of teachers.

"Child-Friendly Educational Spaces" The project shared its plan:

-          These spaces aim to expand children's opportunities for social-emotional and experiential learning.

"Let's Start Learning from Our Village" He mentioned the program:

-          This program promotes a place-based learning approach, supporting children in transforming their living environment into a learning resource.

She shared the following words from a teacher regarding the process:

-          "When my students remember us in the future..." 'He loved us, he had a good relationship with us.' I want them to say that.”