Turkey's Deputy Premier says Turkish education volunteers reach countries off the map

Anadolu Agency

Turkey's deputy premier said on Monday that Turkish education volunteers carried out successful activities in the farthest places in the world.

Speaking at a ceremony held in northwestern Bursa province on the occasion of the 9th International Turkish Olympiads, Turkish State Minister Deputy Premier Bulent Arinc said Turkey had been opening schools in far away countries such as Vietnam, Mongolia and Cambodia.

"Turkish education volunteers open major institutions, train young people and build bridges of friendship in the farthest countries that are difficult to find on the map," Arinc said.

"There are 192 countries that are members of the United Nations. There are Turkish schools in 130 of these countries," the minister noted.

The International Turkish Olympiads, organized since 2003, is an annual event for learners of the Turkish language. The event aims at rewarding those who are the best at learning Turkish. The Olympiad in Turkey is the final stage of the Turkish Language competition.

Foreign learners and native speakers of Turkish compete in numerous categories such as speaking, writing, grammar, song, poetry, reading, general knowledge, presentation, special talents, folk dances, essay and country exhibition throughout the event.

This year's Olympiads are taking place between June 15-30, 2011 with the participation of more than 1,000 students from 130 countries.
 
Published on Journal of Turkish Weekly, 21 June 2011, Friday