Girne American University (GAU) Faculty of Education Lecturer, Head of the of Primary School Teaching Department Professor Dr. Süleyman Çelenk noted the importance of primary school education by stating the following: "The cost of making mistakes at the beginning of  a child`s education is very heavy.. If your primary education level is strong, your secondary school education as well as higher education and basic civil features are also powerful.. We train successful teachers of the future in our university."

 Prof. Çelenk who explained that the priority should be given to primary school education in order for the future generations to be strong, stated that: “A chance of repairing a wrong formation in the future that may occur in a student’s behavior at school age is very weak, if not impossible. If your primary education level is strong, your secondary school education as well as higher education and basic civil features are also powerful. In short, the cost of making mistakes at the beginning of a child`s education is very heavy, the importance of primary school education stems from this point.”

Prof. Çelenk who answered questions directed to him in the TV program he participated, expressed that primary school period is the period in which the basic personality characteristics of the children appears, and that this critical period can be summarized correctly with the "You can’t teach and old dog new tricks" or "The tree branch should be bent when its young”.

Do what he says, not what he does

Çelen who underlined that it is impossible to correct the mistakes made during the primary school education era, stressed that: “Children that are at primary school age, cannot be trained with advices. Children of this age are trained by role models. So if a teacher tells children not to smoke, then continues to smoke himself, this advice has no benefit on the children. It is all because they model and learn from the behavior of their teachers by observing him, so the teacher`s smoking behavior internalizes smoking, and they start smoking hidden as a child, out in the open as a teenager. Therefore our ancestors say that “Do what the teacher said, but not what he does”. A good teacher should look like how he advises and should live like what he says. This is also valid for mothers and fathers.”

Cyprus Island is like a dream

Prof. Dr. Süleyman Çelenk who conveyed his views about the island during the program, stated that: “I am a scientist, I always perform my duty anywhere if the necessary environment is provided. Cyprus is a dream for us from the Anatolian peninsula. Being and serving on the Cyprus Island, and to be able to help solve the problems of the Turkish people is the highest honor for me.”