Face Shield Production Begins in Vocational High Schools with PAGEV Support

Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education and the Turkish Plastic Manufacturers Research, Development and Education Foundation (PAGEV) are expanding their cooperation in combating coronavirus. Production of single-use plastic forks has begun at PAGEV Küçükçekmece Plastic Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. Projects carried out within the framework of the Ministry of National Education's 2023 vision are enabling vocational high schools to serve as a shield in the country's fight against coronavirus. Within the context of institutional cooperation with PAGEV in vocational education, current efforts are meeting the sharply rising demand for personal single-use products. PAGEV, which is taking a leading role with vocational high schools, is opening the doors of its schools wide to produce the products the country needs in its coronavirus response. At PAGEV Küçükçekmece Plastic Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, 1 million forks per month will be produced for distribution to hospitals, quarantine centres and other facilities with pandemic-related needs. Other product varieties will be considered as demand dictates.

"This period has demonstrated the importance of vocational high schools"

Another significant step taken by Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education in cooperation with PAGEV has been made in the production of plastic face shields, which are of critical importance in protecting healthcare workers from the virus. With PAGEV's support, 300,000 face shields per month will be produced at vocational plastic high schools nationwide. With the participation of Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Levent Yazıcı, volunteer teachers at PAGEV Küçükçekmece Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School began production of single-use plastic products on Monday, 13 April 2020. PAGEV Corporate Communications Manager Cesur Çaça and PAGEV Küçükçekmece Plastic Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School Acting Director Ömer Hançer hosted this important day. Istanbul Provincial Director of National Education Levent Yazıcı, noting the critical importance of vocational high schools in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, said: "This difficult period in which we are fighting coronavirus has demonstrated the importance of vocational high schools. As the Provincial Directorate of National Education, we are producing cleaning supplies, single-use masks, aprons, coveralls, forks, spoons, knives, cups and other products needed by our country in our vocational high schools. We greatly value our cooperation with PAGEV. PAGEV Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools are positioned as one of our pilot centres. We are producing face shields at 16 Science and Art Centres. At PAGEV Vocational and Technical Anatolian High Schools, we are also beginning production of face shields, which are particularly among the greatest needs of our healthcare workers, in addition to single-use plastic products. As the Provincial Directorate of National Education, we will continue and expand our institutional cooperation work focused on vocational high schools during and after the coronavirus response period."

The importance of single-use materials is growing

PAGEV Corporate Communications Manager Cesur Çaça, stating that they will maintain the pace of support they are providing to Turkey's coronavirus response: "At PAGEV schools, we are sending single-use forks, spoons and similar products that we produce with our volunteer teachers free of charge to quarantine centres, hospitals, nursing homes and other places where they are needed. The period we are going through has highlighted the importance of single-use products from a hygiene standpoint while also demonstrating how valuable vocational high schools are. As PAGEV, within the scope of our cooperation with Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, we are producing 1 million forks per month at PAGEV Küçükçekmece Plastic Technology Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. Additionally, we are contributing to this effort by supporting the production of 300,000 face shields per month at plastic vocational high schools to be designated by the Ministry of National Education and sending them to places where they are needed. We express our sincere gratitude to our Provincial Directorate of National Education in the first place, our member companies for their steadfast support, our esteemed teachers who have demonstrated the importance of volunteering, and all other sector stakeholders."