Some 19 million Turkish students welcomed the summer break as the 2022-23 school year ended on Friday across the country.

Traditional ceremonies where students were handed their report cards and waved goodbye to fellow students were held in thousands of schools in Türkiye.

The joyous occasion of completing another year of education was evident on the faces of both students and teachers as they head on a long summer break before the new school year kicks off on Sept. 11.

Friday was an ordinary day for senior high schoolers as they braced for another challenge – the start of three rounds of university admission examinations over the weekend.

Approximately 3.5 million high school seniors applied to take the examination, which will be held in three sessions over the weekend in two phases.

The 2022-2023 academic year in preschool, primary and secondary schools commenced on Sept. 12, 2022, with two interim breaks between Nov. 14-18, 2022, and April 17-20 during the second semester.

The students embracing a three-month break will prepare for the next school year at summer schools or rest in rural areas along with loved ones.

During the summer break of the 2022-2023 academic year, professional development training for teachers will be carried out by distance education method over the Teacher Informatics Network (ÖBA).

At the same time, middle school seniors will be notified of the central examination results held within the scope of the High School Transition System (LGS) on June 26.

Ahead of the summer break, newly appointed Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin on Thursday held a meeting to evaluate education and training activities in the quake-struck zones with provincial managers in Gaziantep province.

The minister praised the determination of the region after powerful tremors claimed over 50,000 lives and vowed to restore pre-disaster conditions in schools and classrooms located in the earthquake-affected zone before the new academic year in September.

Earthquake-affected zone

Pointing out that important measures were adopted in the earthquake-affected zone, the minister noted that teachers appointed to the region were facing several problems including accommodation, along with psychological effects following the disaster.

"There are steps we need to undertake to overcome the psychological problems of our students and academic personnel in the region. We talked about them today. With the instructions of our president, we made our evaluations here with (our) friends, with commitments that our problems in terms of budget and resources will be solved and that we will not have any problems in the region. Important measures have been taken. As of September, we will have reached the pre-earthquake conditions in terms of the number of schools and classrooms in the region before schools reopen," he underlined.

Meanwhile, on Friday morning thousands of youth in schools that gradually reopened in the quake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and Kilis received their report cards in a festive manner despite the massive tragedy experienced over four months ago.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in front of a primary school, Ömer Faruk Coşkun, the governor of Kahramanmraş, recalled that the education process that was interrupted for a while after the earthquakes, restarted gradually in the city on March 27, April 12 and April 24.

Coşkun stated that immediately after the earthquake, all institutions started working to restore education and training activities and said, "We especially thank our teachers, because they along with administrative staff ensured the continuation of education and training activities in those difficult conditions."

Among the students receiving report cards were approximately 500 earthquake-affected youth sheltered in the temporary prefabricated cities established by the Nevşehir Governorship in Adıyaman.

Thousands of students, regardless of the province, were thrilled, clicking photos alongside their classmates, while many experts across the country advised parents to rationally utilize the holidays with their children, advising them to scrutinize their activities and screen time.