Panicky parents calmed over Feza Schools closure reports


Date posted: January 28, 2017

Saumu Mwalimu

Dar es Salaam — Feza Schools management yesterday moved to calm anxious parents and other stakeholders following reports that the Turkish government was plotting a take over or closure of the famed learning institutions.

Panicky parents and suppliers have been calling the schools officials and teachers to seek information on the matter, even as it emerged yesterday that some of the schools expansion plans in Mwanza and Dodoma have been temporarily halted to await clearance of the arising confusion.

The Feza Schools’ director Mr Ibrahim Yunus yesterday sought to calm the parents and students, saying learning and other services were going on normally in all its campuses. He said there was no reason to panic as the board had engaged relevant government authorities to ensure there was no disruptions of activities.

“This discussion about Turkey and the supposed plot to close our schools is scaring parents and raising uncertainty among other stakeholders. I haver received a number of calls from concerned parents but we have told them that there is no cause for alarm because this matter will come to pass without any harm,” Mr Yunus told The Citizen in an exclusive interview yesterday in Dar es Salaam.

The director assured the public that claims linking the institution to an alleged terror network were grossly untrue and a fabrication made with the intention of spoiling its image. “We have spoken before and I say this today that, our schools have no link with any terror group, we are a local registered charity organisation where every single sent obtained from schools fee is used for the redevelopment of the schools,” he added.

According to Mr Yunus, they have provided 600 direct and over 1000 indirect employments.

“We are secular schools, having only 52 per cent of Moslem students this year, and due to our performance we have encouraged competition among private and public schools and that healthy in the education sector in general,” said Mr Yunus.

Mr Yunus assured parents with children studying in the schools that the government of Tanzania was handling the matter in a good way and they are optimistic that the future of the schools is safe.

“Those who want to bring Feza down do not care for the interest of Tanzania and should instead aim at introducing similar schools to raise competition and standards in the education sector.

Other education stakeholders have also aired their views on the saga, warning that the wrangles should not be left to affect the students studying in its campuses. Feza Schools has 11 campuses providing primary, secondary and high school learning to nearly 4000 pupils and students. It is a prestigious schools attracting many students of who is who in the country and also providing bursary to thousands of poor bright students.

Those who spoke to The Citizen warned that the government should not allow politics to interfere with the facility. They said diplomatic relations between Turkey and Tanzania should work towards bettering the society and not wrecking it.

While in Tanzania last week, President Erdogan appealed for local government support to fight a supposed terror network he claimed was fighting his government. Turkey has privately listed Feza Schools among institutions run by a charity organisation under preacher Fethullah Gulen who they accuse of waging a terror war against Ankara.


Related Video

Ali Mahmoud – University Student in the USA, graduate of the Feza Boys’ Secondary and High School, Dar as Salaam, Tanzania (Class of 2015)

Source: The Citizen , January 27, 2017


Related News

55-year-old leukemia patient says looking after grandchildren as daughter, son behind bars over Gülen links

The 55-year-old mother of an imprisoned Turkish woman said in a Twitter video that she has been left to look after her grandchildren after the Turkish government imprisoned her daughter as well as her son over alleged links to the Gülen group.

Pakistan: Islamabad High Court rejects petition by Erdogan’s Maarif Foundation

The Islamabad High Court, while rejecting the petition filed by Turkey’s Maarif Foundation, decreed that there was no meaning in the foundation’s demand for inclusion in the case as it was out of the question for such foreign structures to find in themselves any right to take over the [Pak-Turk] schools in Pakistan.

34 housewives arrested over Gülen links in İstanbul

Thirty-four housewives were arrested by a Turkish court on Saturday due to alleged use of a smart phone application called ByLock and links to the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government blames for a failed coup last July.

President Gul says debates over prep schools should not lead to ‘resentment’

Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said ongoing debates over a recent controversy over the government’s move to shut down prep schools should not lead to “resentment.” The government’s plan to ban private tutoring institutions that train students for high school and university entrance exams has divided society and led to fear among some segments of the public that socioeconomic differences may further affect students’ academic achievement after the closure.

Turkish cabinet member Bayraktar: Turkish schools abroad will be appreciated better in the future

Minister of Environment and City Planning, Mr. Erdogan Bayraktar: “Turkish schools are representing our country successfully. The importance of these services will be better understood better in the future.” Minister of Environment and City Planning, Mr. Erdogan Bayraktar visited the Rainbow International Turkish School in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. Students welcomed the […]

Only educational efforts of groups such as Hizmet can eradicate extremism

In sharp contrast to Boko Haram, there is a faith-inspired group, a civil society movement that engages in education, dialogue and charitable activities and has grown out of Muslim grass roots. Check out how disturbed Boko Haram is about Hizmet’s education campaign, which offers opportunities for both boys and girls. Check out how ISIL publications outline exactly how they hate the Hizmet movement’s efforts and why they see Hizmet as their “enemies.”

Latest News

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Minister: Turkish gov’t racks up $5 bln in confiscation of Gülen-linked properties

Financial Times publishes Fethullah Gulen’s Op-Ed

Wiretapped recordings erased on orders of new police chief

Top court annuls controversial law on prep school closure

Gulen’s peace award: Upswing in Islam’s global image?

Flautre: Investigation into Taraf daily, journalist over MGK docs ‘scandalous’

Man dies of heart attack while on way to help Turkish refugees in Greece

Copyright 2024 Hizmet News