Teacher of Teachers
ORHAN SEYFI ARI
1918 - 1992

Orhan Ari was a Cypriot teacher dubbed Teacher of Teachers, for popularizing education hailed in prose and verse, with streets named after him.

He was born in Lapithiou (Bozalan) in Paphos, Cyprus, 12 December, 1918, of parents Huseyin Avni Ahmet (an elementary school teacher and prayer leader -a wealthy farmer with liberal ideas) and Emete Ahmet; of his siblings (a brother and two sisters) he was the youngest -he was Turkish Cypriot.

His elementary schooling was partly in Ottoman Cyprus leased to Britain, and then in the latter's system when Cyprus belonged to Britain. Following his secondary and general-lycee education in Nicosia he attended Morphou Teacher Training College reading also agriculture, continuing professional development by seminars and courses in Cyprus and in Britain. He taught at Morphou Rural Agricultural School, which he had helped establish, was elementary head in Arodez helping make best use of the land in Angolem, at the English School while active in establishing education for orphans, secondary-school headteacher in Paphos defending frowned upon co-education and with hailed communal cultural activities, and secondary-school headteacher in Lourdicina where he popularised and established then non-compulsory secondary school education ~after the separation of  education departments in the Republic of Cyprus teaching in Nicosia at Girls' Technical Institute, English School again, and Bayraktar Secondary, retiring from 39 years of teaching in 1979 -having had to sue in respect of his pension, in retirement grinding and packaging coffee. 

Orhan Seyfi Ari wrote socio-political columns for a number of newspapers, mostly in Halkin Sesi, his articles having received acclaim terms of 'the useful debates he instigated in his club, passing on to the society the benefits of in his columns'  and in his columns being 'a fearless and vigorous defender of people's liberty'. He composed poetry (some philosophical/mystical in nature) in his circles of friends, and his literary help is credited in terms of 'It was he who had enabled my my compaliation of the works of...' and 'He it was who gave the first love of poetry to the poet...'.  For his teaching, educational and cultural deeds he has been hailed in terms that 'His mark on our history of education is not a little one,' and in poetry as 'the waker-up' of' the people and a 'spreader of light,' 'illuminating all around him'.

Orhan Seyfi Ari, with his wife Suzan Ari whom he married in 1946, had four sons. Continuing also his works on youth morality with praise from the highest of his people's religious offices and his people also overseas, he also worked as prayer leader for two years following his conscription into the army in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus shortly before retiring at 60, passing away peacefully at 73, reading in bed, 17 December,1992. Pupils, former students, carried flowers at his funaral.
 
He is remembered in a number of newspaper articles and books.The municipalities-T of Nicosia and Louridjina/Lysi named streets after him. Tributes to Orhan Seyfi Ari

"Never a (teacher) expires,
Who thinking inspires" -Ari

"The pure in heart truly die never
 In hearts they live forever"  -Ari

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