Schools in Türkiye to open with focus on forest preservation amid wildfire fallout
ANKARA
After a summer scarred by wildfires, Türkiye’s schools will kick off the new academic year in September with an opening lesson centered on forest preservation and environmental stewardship.
“We plan to start the 2025–2026 school year with activities centered around forest appreciation and protecting nature,” Education Minister Yusuf Tekin said during a teacher training program held in the capital Ankara. “Our goal is to raise individuals who respect and safeguard the natural world.”
Launched in cooperation with the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the initiative will span the first week of the school year beginning Sept. 8.
It comes as Türkiye, like many countries around the Mediterranean, has suffered through a particularly intense wildfire season.
Hundreds of fires have scorched vast forested areas in the country’s western and southern regions in recent months, destroying ecosystems and displacing wildlife, while prompting mass evacuations in rural communities.
