Afghan minister: Afghanistan will continue to support Turkish schools


Date posted: May 24, 2014

ISTANBUL

Afghan Deputy Education Minister Shafiq Samim has said Turkish schools in Afghanistan remained open even during the country’s hardest times and that the schools will continue their work in the country in the future.

Speaking with Today’s Zaman, Samim mentioned the importance of the Turkish schools in Afghanistan, stating that the country’s social fabric that has been damaged due to violent extremists and radicals for over 30 years is being repaired by Turkish schools across the country and that the government has no intention of closing them down.

Samim said: “Afghanistan has been going through a very difficult period over the last 30 years. Everything has been overturned by the civil war, bringing the state to a near-collapse with internal conflicts. During this period, Turkey has always been with us. They [Turkish volunteers] came and opened Turkish schools. The first Hizmet [the faith-based Hizmet movement]-affiliated school was opened in the country 20 years ago. People in Afghanistan are pleased with these schools. With God’s help, there are now 35 such schools in Afghanistan. The students who receive an education at these schools are often very successful and do extremely well on public exams.”

Highlighting the educational quality of the Turkish schools, Samim said he had attended an educational event in Kabul two days before arriving in İstanbul: “During this event, the students who ranked at the top in public university entrance exams were given awards. For instance, a student from a Turkish school received the highest scores in a public examination in which 200,000 students participated. Turkish schools are a source of honor and happiness in the country. We in the Ministry of Education trust Turkish schools and take pride in them.”

Praising the educational activities of the Hizmet movement in Afghanistan, Samim stated that both the Hizmet movement and the Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, whose teachings constitute the basis of the movement, look on the children of Afghanistan as though they were their own. Samim expressed his gratitude to the Hizmet movement and Gülen for their positive contributions to education in his country.

Stating that almost all Afghan children want to study in the Turkish schools, Samim spoke about the recent attempts by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to close the Turkish schools abroad, stating: “We have good relations with Turkey. No one has so far asked us to close the Turkish schools in our country. However, we Afghans know what is beneficial for us. We don’t concern ourselves with the problems that governments have with the people in other countries. However, we also appreciate the Hizmet movement, which showed full support to us even during our hardest times. We will never forget this. We will maintain our support for these schools.”

The faith-based Hizmet movement runs a wide network of schools and more than 2,000 educational establishments in more than 140 countries around the world. These schools aim to provide a quality education to thousands of students and are well known for their achievements in International Science Olympiads.

The attempt to shut down the schools comes at a time when the Hizmet movement is being subjected to a smear campaign by the Turkish government, whose prime minister and many high-level officials are implicated in a sweeping corruption scandal that became public on Dec. 17, 2013.

Source: Todays Zaman , May 23, 2014


Related News

Turkish school staff among 230 more evacuated from Yemen

Turkey evacuated 230 more people, including 185 Turkish nationals, from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on April 5, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

Shutting down prep schools against free enterprise, analysts say

“It’s not possible to make out of this behavior befitting a government that defends a market economy,” Seyfettin Gürsel, director of Bahçeşehir University’s Center for Economic and Social Research, told Today’s Zaman. Opponents of the government’s plan have also noted that the prep schools are a consequence of the many inadequacies of Turkey’s education system, and said that prep schools help low-income students enter university.

Police rescue 8 students, staff of Nigeria-Turkish International School from kidnappers

‘The pupils and staffs of Nigeria Turkish international school kidnapped on Friday 13th January have all been rescued unhurt this evening. Details later,” the police said Tuesday.

Turkish school in Philippines partners in a social project

The project aims to rehabilitate the regions academically and socially lagging behind the rest and assist children’s education in particular. Inaugurating the project, an event took place seeing the attendance of International Fountain Schools general manager Malik Gencer, The Philippines Turkish Chamber of Commerce Irfan Karabulut, Pacific Dialog’s president for Philippines Cihangir Arslan and The Philippine Gendarmerie’s commander for civic operations Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo B. Burgos alongside numerous commanders and NGO officials.

Kosovo President: Arrest of Gulenists was wrong

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci in a televised interview for T7 admitted for the first time that the arrest and deportation of the six Turkish men suspected of their links with Fetullah Gulen’s movement was wrong. Thaci has earlier publicly endorsed the extraditions, saying the six Turks were a danger to the fledgling country’s national security.

In Indonesia Turkish schools will not be closed

State Secretary Pramono Anung acknowledged Ankara’s statement on the affiliation of schools in Indonesia with the coup masterminds, but also said there was never any formal request from Turkey to shut down the school. Pramono indicated the government’s concern about Turkey interfering in domestic affairs.

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

Mother of three arrested with baby as police fail to locate teacher husband

CHP leader calls on PM Erdoğan for explanation on action plan against Gülen movement

Why is the Turkish PM Erdoğan having difficulty?

Call for respecting diversity to promote peace and harmony

Pak businessmen asked to attend Istanbul Expo

Kimse Yok Mu launches a bakery for Sudanese orphans

Fethullah Gulen among TIME’s “World’s 100 Most Influential People” for 2013

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News