Turkish school in Bosnia gears up for new term

By Sanela Crnovrsanin

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AA) - A Turkish school in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo is gearing up for the upcoming academic year.

The school run by Maarif Foundation has been admitting students for two months.

Since Monday, it is also receiving applications from teachers.

"We have received nearly 600 applications for the position of teachers and administrative staff within a week,” said Salih Sagır, the foundation’s coordinator for Balkans.

“We have been shortlisting them with our experts and department heads from Istanbul,” Sagir added.

The curriculum followed in the school will include the local and Cambridge boards.

"Students will learn Bosnian and English as well as Turkish,” the regional head said.

He said the foundation will uplift the level of education in Turkey.

Abdullah Serenli, human resources head of the foundation, said 130 applicants were invited for interviews.

“As Turkish Maarif Foundation, we operate in seven countries across the world, we have schools in 24 countries, and it will be 25th here," Serenli noted.

The campus in Mojmilo district, close to the city center, was rented from the Bosnia-Herzegovinia Muslim Union

The school offers kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education, sports facilities and a dining hall.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools linked to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

FETO is reportedly present in more than 150 countries around the world, through schools, NGOs, lobbyists, media outlets, and other companies.