Turkey’s Maarif Foundation to build school in Gambia

By Mustapha K Darboe

Banjul, Gambia (AA) - Turkey’s Maarif Foundation Friday held a signing ceremony with Gambia’s Basic and Secondary Education Ministry at the embassy in the capital Banjul.

The agreement is expected to foster greater cooperation between the two institutions in the area of education.

Acting chairman of Maarif Foundation Dr. Hasan Yavuz told Anadolu Agency that they are now working on sending the country’s coordinator to Gambia, where they plan to build a Kindergarten, primary and secondary school in September.

“If the Gambian authorities wish so, this will be extending up to university level in the long-term,” Yavuz said.

The curricula of the school will be based on Gambian system, Yavuz said, adding that international languages such as Turkish will be introduced in the school.

“The students from this school can continue their education in Turkey later… We will be giving out scholarships for students to study in Turkey,” Yavuz added.

“… The bilateral relations with Gambia is improving very fast and gaining new impetus with this step.”

Claudiana Cole, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, said Gambia is building its education system and the support of the Turkish foundation is “well received”.

Yavuz came to Gambia with the foundation’s head of Africa desk Tuncay Cilesiz and their Dakar representative Dursun Sari.

The foundation’s delegates have had a meeting with the Gambian President Adama Barrow and Foreign Affairs Minister Ousainou Darboe on Thursday.

The signing ceremony was also attended by the Turkish ambassador to Gambia, Ismail Sefa Yuceer.

Turkey has in the past given several scholarships to Gambian students to study various degree programmes at its universities.