Türkiye's fight against the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ) presence on the continent of Africa continues resolutely, the country's ambassador in South Africa said Sunday.
Stating that contacts for the closure of FETÖ schools continue uninterrupted, Ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş said: "The Turkish Maarif Foundation has a representative office in Johannesburg. There are over 20 schools that it took over and opened in Africa alone. As you know, our struggle on this issue continues."
"It opened a school in Johannesburg from elementary to high school. Preparations for opening a school in Cape Town continue. Hopefully, this will increase the number of schools. The important thing is, in our opinion, if we increase the quality of the education of the Maarif Foundation, we will make significant progress here and offer them an important alternative. Therefore, our struggle in this area continues. Both in the context of closing schools and opening schools that offer more education."
She described South Africa as a key country in the continent and underlined that there has been a boom in bilateral relations.
The Maarif Foundation, authorized by the government to operate Turkish schools abroad, enjoys vast success and has expanded since its founding. Its 428 schools on six continents made Maarif the country’s leading brand in education across the world as Ankara strives to boost its “soft power.”
Maarif was founded on June 17, 2016, and one of its missions was to run schools seized from FETÖ, the culprit behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which also runs an international network of schools. In time, Maarif expanded its scope beyond this simple mission, turning into an education juggernaut, representing Türkiye abroad.
Along with schools in 49 countries, the foundation runs 44 dormitories across the globe, serving more than 50,000 students. Maarif was founded to raise Türkiye’s prominence in the international education community, improve bonds with other countries and curb the influence of schools linked to FETÖ. Along with new schools, it controls the schools seized from the terrorist group, which long posed as a charity movement with a large school network from Africa to Asia.
