Politics

In post-quake Turkey, kids struggle. A school principal named ‘Hope’ steps in.


Over a year since a devastating series of earthquakes destroyed the Turkish city of Antakya, caring for children in the quake recovery zone is among the most pressing challenges for the region. More than 6 million children were affected by the earthquakes, according to Save the Children, and 760,964 people, over a quarter of them children, still live in makeshift housing.

Schools play an important role in recovery, but education is out of reach for many. More than 70% of schools in Antakya were destroyed, according to the teachers union. And most students still attend classes in makeshift shelters or container housing, or crowd into remaining school buildings. Classroom hours have been severely shortened, compounding learning loss that began with the coronavirus pandemic. 

Why We Wrote This

After a disaster, the best of humanity surfaces, something that was clearly seen after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey a year ago. But some have met the challenge with a special determination.

But one principal, Umut Beyazgul, whose first name means “hope” in Turkish, is determined to return normalcy to his 480 students – preparing them for recent annual exams despite the education gap they face, and reconnecting them to the love of sport, art, and play that defined their childhoods before they lost so much. 

“We have to put their focus elsewhere,” says Mr. Beyazgul. “After all, children have a future. They are in a position to improve themselves.”

The roads leading to Ekinci Atatürk Middle School are dusty, and the surrounding fields strewn with rubble – the remnants of apartment buildings, restaurants, and grocery stores razed by a series of earthquakes in February 2023.

But in the schoolyard, the sun is shining. The air smells like pine and cypress from the trees that hem the property. Children laugh as they throw a worn-out soccer ball across the basketball court, or chat excitedly about the art exhibition they planned for later that week. Principal Umut Beyazgul cuts a hulking figure as he crosses the yard and banters easily with the middle schoolers.

In Antakya, still reeling more than a year after the quakes that struck southeastern Turkey, the school’s concrete structure painted in bright orange and white stands as a rare example of stability. According to official figures, 53,537 people were killed in the quakes, half in the Hatay region where Antakya sits. Millions of others were displaced.

Why We Wrote This

After a disaster, the best of humanity surfaces, something that was clearly seen after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey a year ago. But some have met the challenge with a special determination.

Mr. Beyazgul, whose first name means “hope” in Turkish, is determined to return normalcy to his 480 students – preparing them for recent annual exams despite the education gap they face and reconnecting them to the love of sport, art, and play that defined their childhoods before they lost so much. 

“We have to put their focus elsewhere,” says Mr. Beyazgul, fiddling with a tesbih, a small string of prayer beads, around his wrist while he talks. “After all, children have a future. They are in a position to improve themselves.”

Courtesy of Umut Beyazgul

Ekinci Atatürk Middle School Principal Umut Beyazgul is determined to bring normalcy to students traumatized in the earthquake recovery zone in Antakya, Turkey.

“We’re trying to do whatever it takes to get them out of the psychology of the earthquake,” he adds.

Caring for children in the quake recovery zone is among the most pressing challenges for the region. More than 6 million children were affected by the earthquakes, according to Save the Children. “It was just a traumatic event in general,” says Makayla Palazzo, director for advocacy and communications for Save the Children’s country office in Turkey. “We’re still seeing things like nightmares, children not being able to sleep.”



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