Emine Erdoğan attended the opening of the Turkish Maarif Foundation Education Campus in Togo

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan attended the opening of the Turkish Maarif Foundation's Caisse campus in Togo.

Accompanying President Erdoğan on a three-country trip to Africa, Emine Erdoğan was welcomed by Mahmut Özdil, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, İpek Coşkun, Board Member and Hüseyin Sami Gök, Country Representative. Emine Erdoğan was accompanied by Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan, Speaker of the Togolese Parliament.

During the ceremony organized in the garden of the Caisse International Maarif Schools Campus, Emine Erdoğan was presented with a baobab sapling in a pot. Afterwards, saplings were planted in the school garden by the participants. The delegation then visited the school, chatted with teachers and students and received information about the schools.

"THE QUALITY AND SPREAD OF EDUCATION IS THE LEADING FORCE OF DEVELOPMENT"

In her speech at the ceremony, Emine Erdoğan reminded that the Turkish Maarif Foundation has started its educational activities in two separate campuses in Togo and thanked the Togolese authorities for the convenience they provided.

"Education is the most important item among the development criteria of countries. The quality and prevalence of education is the leading force of development," Emine Erdoğan said: "The world is going through a process of rapid change before our eyes. Technology has become the dominant force in our lives. As a matter of fact, the real race is being fought in this field. Therefore, keeping up with the developments and being prepared for the future can only be possible with a strong education. At this point, our country makes important contributions to Africa. As you know, we provide educational support to successful students in African countries through Turkey Scholarships. In the last 10 years, more than 314 thousand students from 54 African countries applied for our scholarships. Of these students, 13 thousand 982 benefited from the scholarship opportunity. This figure shows us that our friendship with Africa is strengthening day by day. Currently, 4,403 African students are studying in Turkey at different levels such as undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. In addition, we have a total of 8,786 graduates from 51 different African countries. Since 2005, 95 Togolese students have been granted scholarships to study in Turkey. 30 of these students have graduated. The popularity of our country among African students is extremely pleasing for us."

Stating that the work is not limited to receiving a diploma, Emine Erdoğan said that Turkish business people and Turkish graduates continue to come together through sectoral and regional alumni gatherings and added, "Concrete steps are being taken in many fields such as software, health, logistics, energy and mining. I hope that this effort will benefit Africa's future good days."

"I WISH THAT THE STAR OF AFRICA, THE RISING VALUE OF THE CENTURY, WILL ALWAYS SHINE"

Emphasizing that she had the opportunity to travel to many African countries in the 16 years following Turkey's opening to Africa in 2005, Emine Erdoğan said that she encountered a continent that fascinated her at every step from east to west, north to south.

Stating that she was particularly impressed by the struggle of African women during her travels to African countries, Emine Erdoğan said: "This is why I support various projects to support the development of women. The African Handicrafts Market and Culture House we established in Ankara in 2016 is an example of this effort. We buy the handicraft products of African women from various countries and sell them in this fair market. The income generated goes back to African women as it is. In 2020, we also launched the book 'African Food Culture'. Thanks to this book, a work that extends from tables to hearts has emerged. I believe that the book 'A Selection of African Proverbs', which we published in 2021, is a valuable contribution in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Every year, we draw attention to the growing importance of Africa with the events we organize specially for Africa Day on 25 May. An African proverb says, 'Whatever we do today will be engraved in history'. I believe that our solidarity will remain in history as an important example."

Stating that the book "My Travels in Africa" marks the place of Africa in her heart, Emine Erdoğan said: "This memoir is an expression of my love and interest in Africa. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the African Handicrafts Market and Culture House to be returned to African women. I wish that the star of Africa, the rising value of the century, will always shine. I wish our students a successful academic year."

Speaking at the ceremony, Mahmut Özdil, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, stated that as the Maarif family, they have become the address of reputable and reliable education with 397 educational institutions in 67 countries around the world in five years.

Expressing his gratitude to President Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan, who provided the greatest support in achieving such progress in such a short period of time, on behalf of approximately 45 thousand students studying at the schools, Özdil, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, emphasized that the goal of Maarif Schools, Turkey's most valuable social and humanitarian investment abroad, is to raise virtuous people with competencies in line with the economic, scientific and technological needs of the age.

Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan, Speaker of the Togolese Parliament, thanked the Turkish Maarif Foundation for the schools opened in Togo and stated that the visit of President Erdoğan and his wife Emine Erdoğan to Togo was welcomed in terms of relations between the two countries. Afterwards, the opening ribbon was cut with the protocol members and gifts were distributed to the students.

In Togo International Maarif Schools, which are located in two different campuses, renovation works were carried out by considering every detail for students to receive quality education. In the schools, which are among the most respected educational institutions of the country, education will be given in classes limited to 20 students.

Togo International Maarif Schools have computer classrooms and science laboratories where students can learn how to use computers and listen to books online, as well as a conference hall, an amphitheater where theater events are held, a nurse's room for first aid, an enriched library, a dining hall and visual arts classrooms.

Psychological Counseling and Guidance services also stand out among the services offered by the schools. In addition to these, students will be taught in thinking skills workshops to improve their strategic thinking skills.

The two different campuses in the capital Lome have eight different schools ranging from kindergarten to high school.

19.10.2021