food agriculture - July 5, 2025 - https://gidatarim.com/koy-okullari-degisim-agi-koydeki-ogrencilerin-hayatini-degistiriyor/
Elif Ergu Demiral
Mine Ekinci, who studied political science and international relations at Robert College and Boğaziçi University, and then completed her master's degree at Harvard, produces projects for both students and village teachers through the Village Schools Exchange Network, which she founded and focuses on education in villages.
Mine Ekinci is an exemplary role model for young people. She's a young woman who, in my opinion, set out to address one of Türkiye's most pressing issues. After a very successful education, she's a social entrepreneur who has dedicated herself to improving the education system in villages. I met Mine Ekinci years ago, and she's made remarkable progress since then. I hope more people hear about her work. Mine Ekinci studied at Robert College and then Boğaziçi University. While pursuing her master's degree at Harvard, she developed the village schools project. Upon her return in 2016, she founded the Village Schools Exchange Network (KODA). Her goal was to provide village children with access to a higher-quality education. Let's tell the rest in Mine Ekinci's own words.
I interviewed you during your first semester. Were you able to achieve your goals back then? How does it feel to move forward step by step towards your dreams?
Yes, we've largely achieved our goals, particularly for teachers. Our teacher community program, which began with a teacher community in Harran, Şanlıurfa, is expanding to 18 communities this year. Our mentorship program, which provides one-on-one mentoring to five teachers, continues to reach 5 teachers with 60 mentors. Initially working with three faculties of education, we now have collaboration protocols with 120 faculties of education.
As someone who did not live or grow up in a village, how did you empathize while establishing the Village Schools Change Network?
Actually, I can't say I haven't lived in a village. I'm from Yalova. I spent my early childhood years in the city center, but after the Marmara Earthquake in 1999, we moved to my grandmother's village, Soğucak, also in Yalova. Even though I never went to a village school, I have this connection with the village. In particular, the stories of my grandmother, my paternal grandmother, and my mother, who also grew up in the village, have definitely had a significant impact on me. I've been volunteering in civil society since I was 12-13. My volunteering started with my first social responsibility projects at the Yalova Youth Assembly and Robert College; it continued with volunteer work at Genç TEMA and in the field of disability. Later, between high school and university, I suspended my university enrollment for a year and went to France, where I worked as a volunteer for about a year at an education center for the disabled thanks to a European Union youth program. I also traveled a lot during my university years whenever I had the time and opportunity, from the Amazon to Mongolia. Since the founding of KODA, I've been to many different districts and more than a hundred villages; I shared meals with people at their floor tables, played games with their children, and listened to their troubles and dreams.
Education in Türkiye has multiple and complex problems. Could you list the problems specific to rural areas?
One of the most fundamental issues is the lack of a kindergarten, primary school, or secondary school in many villages. This isn't just a physical challenge; it also impacts children's sense of belonging and motivation. It's also true that many villages have significantly diminished populations, with only a few school-age children. Where a village school exists, teachers often change frequently. While this situation has improved significantly in many regions where contract teachers were initially assigned, remote villages and small towns connected to metropolitan areas continue to suffer from this problem. However, especially in the eastern regions, many teachers assigned to villages are new to the profession. Many village schools also have multi-grade classes, meaning children of different age groups are taught in the same classroom by a single teacher. This model can actually be an opportunity with the right support, and it can have a very positive impact on learning. Unfortunately, when teachers aren't prepared for this model and aren't provided with supportive content and materials, it can be counterproductive for teachers in terms of learning for challenging students. Another important issue is that many families cannot adequately support their children's education due to reasons such as their socio-economic conditions, prejudices about education and school, cultural and language barriers, high workloads, large numbers of children, limited educational materials at home, and limited space in general.
What can you achieve with KODA?
To date, we've worked with over 9000 teachers and prospective teachers, as well as over 1500 parents. Thanks to them, we've enabled more than 107 children in villages to receive a better education. We haven't just provided training to village teachers; we've also built communities where they learn, share, and gain strength from one another. Our Teacher Communities Program empowers teachers in villages both personally and professionally. Our First Step to the Village Program aims to give prospective teachers a perspective on teaching in a village before they even begin their careers. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is also a key area for us. We support teachers and families in helping children identify and express their emotions, develop empathy, and develop healthy communication. This improves the classroom climate and creates a learning environment where children feel more secure.
