The Educators' Training Certificate Program, organized in collaboration with the Kastamonu University Education Excellence Coordination and the Continuous Education Application and Research Center (KASÜSEM), began with an opening ceremony held on June 12, 2026, in the Faculty of Education Amphitheater. 

The opening of the program was attended by our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, Vice Rectors, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Atalan and Prof. Dr. Selahattin Kaymakcı, as well as the Education Excellence Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Berat Ahi, and the KASÜSEM Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkan Çalışkan, and Faculty of Education Dean Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kaçar, along with 57 faculty members from various academic units of our University. 

Within the program's framework aimed at contributing to the professional development of teaching staff, training will be provided in areas such as measurement and evaluation, teaching principles and methods, program literacy, classroom management, open and distance learning, and lifelong learning. Participants will have the opportunity to examine current educational approaches and evaluate different application examples throughout the program. 

Speaking at the program's opening, Education Excellence Coordinator Prof. Dr. Berat Ahi provided information on the program's emergence and its role in efforts to improve the quality of higher education. Emphasizing that quality assurance in education is not limited to student feedback, Prof. Dr. Ahi stated that practices supporting the professional development of teaching staff are also an important part of this process.

Stating that the program was planned in line with this understanding, Prof. Dr. Ahi said that the process of training trainers aims to help faculty members recognize current teaching approaches, share experiences, and develop a common perspective on educational processes.

After Prof. Dr. Berat Ahi, our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, spoke at the opening and emphasized that the most important strength of universities lies beyond their physical and technological facilities, in their qualified human resources. Emphasizing the decisive role of academic staff in students' academic and personal development, our Rector stated that education is not merely the transfer of knowledge. 

After Prof. Dr. Berat Ahi, our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, spoke at the opening and emphasized that the most important strength of universities lies beyond their physical and technological facilities, in their qualified human resources. Emphasizing the decisive role of academic staff in students' academic and personal development, our Rector stated that education is not merely the transfer of knowledge. 

In his speech, our Rector said, "What often remains in a university student's memory is not the content of a course, but rather the approach of the instructor, their fairness, the value they instill in their students, and the human relationships they build." Because education is not just about transferring knowledge. Education is also a matter of raising a person. To instill self-confidence in a student, to teach them to think, to give them a critical perspective, sometimes to rekindle their hope, and sometimes to help them discover themselves. " 

After our Rector's speech, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, the program continued with educational sessions.