At the Mustafa Canlı Science and Art Center in northern Türkiye’s Gümüşhane, students are learning core values like trust and honesty firsthand through an innovative school canteen program. The school, which previously lacked a canteen, opened one after students expressed interest. With no official operator managing the canteen, the school implemented a system that allows students to pick up items, leave money in a designated box, and collect change on their own if necessary.
Osman Someren, the principal of the school, explained that after student requests, they began offering basic products such as water, cakes and biscuits in the canteen. “The door is always open, and there’s no business operator. The children enter the canteen, choose their products and leave the required payment in the box. If they need change, they take it themselves,” Someren said.
He added that, despite the lack of supervision, there have been no discrepancies in weekly stock counts. In fact, sometimes, there was even an excess, which made the school administration proud of the students’ integrity.
The initiative aims to show that students can exhibit virtuous behavior even without an overseeing mechanism. “We believed in the kids’ ability to act responsibly. After implementing the program, they proved us right. Our weekly counts have shown no missing items, and even extra products have appeared, which makes us happy,” Someren stated.
Filiz Köksal, the assistant principal and social studies teacher emphasized the importance of this hands-on approach to teaching values. “In social studies, we talk about concepts like honesty and trust, but when students experience these values directly, the lessons become more lasting. Our students are learning responsibility, fairness and trust, which were our goals when we started this project,” Köksal said.
She also noted that similar programs in other parts of Türkiye could help spread these valuable lessons nationwide.