Turkish schools in Africa important for strong relations

Rwandan ambassador to Turkey, Lt. Gen. Caesar Kayizari
Rwandan ambassador to Turkey, Lt. Gen. Caesar Kayizari


Date posted: December 26, 2013

SİNEM CENGİZ, ANKARA

The first-ever Rwandan ambassador to Turkey, Lt. Gen. Caesar Kayizari, has said that Turkish schools in Africa play an important role in strengthening relations between African nations and Turkey, adding that Turkey has a lot to offer Rwanda in terms of education.

The policy of opening up to the African continent, which was initiated in 2005, occupies a special place in Turkey’s foreign policy. Turkey’s Africa initiative, an expansion project to which the country has attached great importance in recent years, is moving full steam ahead.

Turkey’s Africa initiative isn’t limited to political and economic goals; rather, it aims to contribute to the development and growth of Africa in diverse fields, including health, education, agriculture and, most importantly, the preservation of peace and stability.

In the field of education, Turkish schools attract attention. In Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, Hope Kids Academy, an international Turkish school, was officially opened in February.

In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Kayizari noted that Turkey has lot to offer in terms of education. He went on to say that education is the only tool for development, adding that his country has invested much in education. “We cannot achieve our 2020 vision without improving our position in education. Turkey also provides scholarships for Rwandan students. This is important as these students will further develop bilateral relations and work to create a positive image of Turkey. Education is the biggest investment for humanity,” Kayizari said.

The ambassador said that the Turkish school in Kigali plans to expand and build a larger facility that will accommodate 500 students next year. “As a new school, it is growing fast. First it was constructed as a small building, but with the increasing number of the students now they are building a greater school,” Kayizari said.

Kayizari added that Turkish universities have promised to offer more spaces for Rwandan students, of which there are currently 40 in Turkey, and that the two countries have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the field of education soon.

The MoU would further strengthen bilateral relations and promote mutual understanding and good will between the people of Rwanda and those of Turkey.

Source: Today's Zaman , December 23, 2013


Related News

Turkish school student project among global finalists of 2015 Google Science Fair

A project by students from a Turkish school in Bosnia called “Catch it on the Wing,” which is designed to produce hydrogen storage material and biodiesel from chicken feathers, is among the 20 global finalists at the 2015 google science fair.

Dutch politicians outraged over new “Gulen-List”

Only days after Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Minister Bert Koenders’ frantic diplomatic efforts to limit Turkish interference in Dutch society, the Turkish state news agency published a new so-called “Gulen list” on Tuesday. The list contains names of organizations in the Netherlands allegedly affiliated with Fethullah Gulen, which are to be boycotted because they are considered enemies of the Turkish State. Politicians in the Netherlands are furious.

Best robot design award for Turkish school students in NY competition

ORHAN AKKURT, NEW YORK Students from the private Turkish school Pioneer Academy of Science were granted the prize of the best robot design in a competition in New York last week. Ninety-five schools participated in the competition FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) displaying designs of robots. At the end of the competition, the team from the […]

Hizmet Essay Contest 2014

The contest aims to motivate individuals to research the works of Fethullah Gulen and the activities of various Hizmet institutions locally and globally, with the purpose of addressing how the Hizmet movement contributes to the individual, the community, society and the world in general.

Another Gülenist teacher at risk of deportation from Bosnia

Fatih Keskin, a Turkish educator and the principal of Una-Sana College, an institute operating within the Gülen-affiliated Richmond Park Schools Group, was detained by the police in Bihać city.

Academic Freedom in Turkey Under Seige

It appears that Fethullah Gülen, a U.S.-based Islamic preacher from Turkey who promotes peace and tolerance, and the schools associated with his religious Hizmet movement can’t get a break. Now, Gülen’s schools are being targeted in his home country by the Turkish government’s ruling Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, which should dispel any notion in the U.S. that the AKP is somehow in cahoots with the Gülen movement.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

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

In Case You Missed It

Turkey’s post-coup purges shake higher education

Education minister calls on African ambassadors to have Gülen-inspired schools closed

5 children abandoned in front of prison as mother detained

[Political Scandal a la Turca] What is happening in Turkey right at this moment?

Tears and sadness as Turkish people pack up to leave Pakistan

Will the Gulen Movmement found a political party?

Symposium concludes: Hizmet movement contributes to world peace

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News