Active and fruitful discussions between the project team and key stakeholders took place on December 15, with participants joining from Ankara, Istanbul, and Strasbourg.

The participants included representatives of the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey, the EU Delegation to Turkey, the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU), the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Education Reform Initiative (ERG), the Parliamentary Commission for National Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, and the Council of Europe.

Christian Urse, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara, Sarah Keating, Head of the Co-operation and Capacity Building Division of the Education Department and Dr Gülderen Özdemir, Head of the Research, Development and Projects Department at the Ministry of National Education opened the meeting and congratulated the project team on adapting to the current health situation.

The Committee reviewed the status and the planning of the project, which aims at the development of a democratic school culture by drafting policy recommendations and education materials, promoting a whole school model, and through teacher training. The discussion focused on the challenges and opportunities brought about by COVID-19 and the need for a no-cost extension that would allow piloting of the education materials and the “Whole School Model” in the 110 selected schools in 10 provinces for a full school year, and on the thorough results-driven analysis that will follow. Among the activities discussed were a cartoon series for children, visibility actions – including a website about to be launched – and the next meeting, which was set in the first half of June 2021.