We held the closing meeting of the “Every Student Counts!” project

The closing conference of the “Every Student Counts!” project, implemented by the Association of Academicians Union (AAU) with the financial support of the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye under the “Improving Inclusive Education” grant program, was held on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at Gazi University with a high level of participation.

The event took place at Gazi University Mimar Kemaleddin Hall and started at 09:30. The conference served as an important platform for sharing key insights and discussing experiences regarding the improvement of inclusive education services, particularly for students with learning difficulties.

Many distinguished academics, teachers, and experts attended the conference, including Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız, Rector of Gazi University, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Otrar, Director General of Special Education and Guidance Services at the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye. Participants were thanked for their contributions throughout the project implementation process.

In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. İsmail Şahin, President of the AAU, emphasized that another meaningful project carried out by the Association had been successfully completed. Dr. Tayfun Fındık, Project Coordinator of the Academicians Union Association, shared the project results and key data with stakeholders.

Following a short film screening, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Otrar and Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız addressed the audience, expressing their appreciation for the project team and academics for their valuable contributions and expressing confidence that similar efforts will continue in the future.

The event continued with a panel focusing on learning difficulties. Moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Özkubat, the panel featured contributions from esteemed experts including Prof. Dr. İ. Birkan Güldenoğlu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veysel Aksoy, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alpaslan Karabulut, who shared valuable insights on reading, comprehension, and mathematics skills in individuals with learning difficulties, as well as early developmental indicators.

During the Q&A session, participants had the opportunity to ask the experts their individual questions. It was emphasized that the purpose of the conference was to improve educational services for students with learning difficulties and raise awareness in this field.

The closing conference served as a highly productive platform for knowledge exchange and experience sharing among educators and academics. Participants agreed on the importance of continuing educational efforts with greater awareness and understanding of learning difficulties.