'Locals abroad ask me to pull strings for admission to Turkish schools'

Chairman of Fiba Group Board of Directors Husnu Ozyegin argued that the Turkish Olympiads are more important than Olympic Games. He further said the locals in Turkish schools’ home countries are asking him to pull strings in order to get their kids admitted.

A group of the 11th Turkish Olympiads participant students in Istanbul visited Fiba Group Board of Directors Chair Husnu Ozyegin and his son Murat Ozyegin. Ozyegin said he was greatly happy to have the students in his office in Levent district. Underscoring the significance of the annually held Olympiads, Ozyegin said, “This is an event to be proud of. It is a source of pride for us. It’s one of a kind on earth. To me, the Olympiads are more important than even Olympic Games as it involves the world of the future. It involves meticulously building the world of the future”

We have Turkish school graduates at our companies abroad

Noting that the students of the Turkish schools abroad are very lucky, “Your experiences and the ties you’ve formed here are great opportunities for you. Because they are going to have an effect on your future. We know and have witnessed the quality of the education you are receiving. We have hired graduates of the schools in Russia and Romania for our companies there. We are personally witnessing the quality education they’ve completed and how effective they are in managing and communicating with people” Ozyegin said.

He said the Turkish companies abroad have started to do great business and they are facing employment problem. However the local Turkish schools, he said, are easing their burden to a great extent. “Those schools are training the staff you need, in the best way. They are familiarizing the locals to you and your country. So you can easily adjust yourself. The Turkish companies have been able to do great business thanks to these schools. We employ the Turkish schools’ graduates too at our companies abroad. We have employees from your schools working for our companies in many countries. They are connecting us with the home countries. We greatly appreciate that” said the businessman.

Some locals even asked me to pull strings for their children

Well aware of the quality education at the schools, Ozyegin said there have been people in some countries asking him for help in order to be admitted to the schools. He related one of them: “Some Ukrainian ministers asked me to pull strings so that their children can go to the Turkish schools. Think about it! Senior figures of a country are resorting to all of their connections just to be able to send their children to your schools!”

Ozyegin having talks with the students at length and sharing his experiences in the business world couldn’t hide his astonishment to hear the number of languages the students speak. When one of the students said six different languages are taught at his school, Ozyegin said’ “This is incredible!” Moreover, when an Iraqi student said Turkish, Kurdish, English and Arabic languages are taught at their schools, he said, “This is it! If I was to open a bank in Diyarbakir and try to reach out to the locals, I would hire this girl right away. And that’ll do! She would be able to communicate with Kurdish, Arabic, English or Turkish speakers. It is hard to raise people of such quality. The Turkish schools are so good at it. I believe there’s no “wiser man” than her.”

Similarly, Husnu Ozyegin’s son Murat Ozyegin said, “I felt so proud to see these children. This is amazing, this is incredible!” Admitting that he got excited to see them, “We now realized how smart it was to have sponsored the Olympiads through one of our companies. We thus, once again, realized the importance of a small contribution,” Murat Ozyegin said.

Published [in Turkish] on Cihan, 14 June 2013, Friday