18M schoolchildren receive report cards in Turkey

By Zehra Aydin, Halil Sahin

ANKARA, IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Nearly 18 million students across Turkey obtained their mid-term report cards on Friday ahead of the winter break.

Pre-school, primary, secondary and high school students across the country were happy to have completed the first term successfully for the 2017-2018 school year.

The celebrations were manifold at a school in western Izmir province where 33 twins and a set of triplets study.

One of the twins, Naz Demir, at the Makbule Suleyman Alkan Secondary School in Buca district, received a certificate of high achievement along with her twin Nil.

“I do not need a friend when I get bored, as my twin is always with me,” Naz, a 6th grader told Anadolu Agency.

They have plans for the winter holidays.

“We will play games and go to the cinema during the holidays,” Nil said.

“We want to be doctors when we grow up,” she added.

Kaan Demir, a 5th-grade student, also received a certificate of achievement.

“People are always confusing me with my twin. One day, my sibling Yagiz did not want to show up at a theater play. During the break, we changed our clothes and I played instead of him,” Kaan said.

Teachers at the school are planning to apply for the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of twins and a set of triplets.

National Education Minister Ismet Yilmaz also attended a report card ceremony at a secondary school in the capital Ankara.

Yilmaz advised the student to rest during the holidays, do some reading, and join social and cultural activities during the holiday.

“We never give homework [to students during the mid-term holiday]. We’ve sent a notice [regarding this]."