The Turkish Maarif Foundation is taking strategic steps to promote the recognition of Turkish as an international language and to introduce Türkiye's culture worldwide.
The foundation's activities in teaching Turkish as a foreign language are based on a curriculum prepared in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
The Turkish as a Foreign Language Teaching Program, approved by the National Education Ministry's Board of Education and Discipline and created with contributions from academics and institutions from various universities, forms the cornerstone of this process.
The foundation places great importance on systematically teaching Turkish, particularly at preschool, primary, secondary and high school levels, offering education with rich and comprehensive content in line with international language teaching standards.
To this end, Turkish textbooks and leveled supplementary reading books have been developed within the framework of the curriculum prepared for K-12 levels.
The Turkish Maarif Foundation ensures the teaching of Turkish in schools through teachers selected from among graduates of education faculties in Türkiye or those working for the Ministry of National Education.
The selection of teachers is carried out meticulously through exams and the Turkish Teacher Orientation and Development Program. Teachers who have undergone training in this program are sent to Maarif schools abroad to represent Türkiye and promote the Turkish language.
The goal is for students graduating from Maarif schools to have at least B2-level proficiency in Turkish and to promote the language internationally through Turkish-speaking students.
One of the foundation's biggest goals is to teach Turkish from preschool to high school in schools across 53 countries.
In line with the country's education and cultural diplomacy, the foundation views teaching Turkish worldwide and its efforts in this field as an investment in Türkiye's future, teaching Turkish to 53,000 students in 467 schools globally.
Türkiye sees nurturing generations who know Turkish and have studied in the foundation's schools in foreign countries as a significant investment in the country's future.
Maarif continues its activities in Turkish studies and teaching Turkish by establishing Türkiye Studies Centers in collaboration with universities. In Albania, it initiated the opening of a Turkology department at the TMV Tirana New York University.
The foundation is also conducting efforts targeting Turkish children in Europe, establishing European Education Centers to contribute to the development of the mother tongue of bilingual Turkish children.
In addition, with the "TMV Turkish Language Teaching Model for Bilingual Children," the development of these children's mother tongue is supported.
While the foundation coordinates its activities with relevant institutions in Türkiye, the Turkish Maarif Foundation and the Turkish-German University organized the "International Workshop on Teaching Turkish to Bilingual Turkish Children" on May 22-23. This event involved the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and the Turkish Language Association.
