MINISTER ÖZER: KEY TO INTEGRATION IS TURKISH

18 December 2022 19:50

Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer and Minister of Interior Affairs Süleyman Soylu attended the International Immigrant Day activities organized in Ankara. Minister Özer reminded during his speech at the program that last decades have witnessed migration movement due to civil wars, conflicts, climate change and disasters and demographic mobility reached the highest level in the entire world especially in the last twenty years.
 
"Since 2011, families who escaped from the dramatic impact of the civil war in Syria threw themselves on the mercy of our country. It is not random. This country is the home of mercy that hosted Ebul Haan Harekani, Mevlana, Sadreddin Konevi, Hacı Bektaşı Veli, Hacı Bayram Veli, Şeyh Şabani Veli, Ibni Arabi and Gazali," said Özer.
 
Minister Özer noted that Türkiye has been fulfilling its responsibility for the immigrants and his Ministry is working in an effort to give education to Syrian children at school age.
 
"There are approximately one million children from mainly Syria and other countries in primary, secondary and high schools in Türkiye. No other country in the world enrolled this many immigrant children in their education systems. While Türkiye makes such sacrifices, other countries, especially continental European states, showed their contribution to the education of a few immigrant families as a success story," said Özer.
 
He went on to say that: "Within this context, Türkiye fulfilled its mission in history as an exemplary country. Upon the coordination of the Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Interior Affairs, Directorate General for Lifelong Learning has been giving all kinds of support for the social integration of all foreigners who are under the general and temporary protection of our country. Within the framework of the Social Adaptation and Life Education Project carried out by the Directorate General for Lifelong Education and the Directorate of Migration Management, we have reached 1 million 134 thousand and 975 Syrian under the temporary protection and enrolled them in social adaptation and life education courses. Our goal in 2023 is to organize training programs not only for Syrians but all foreigners from 192 countries."
 
Özer reminded that the Ministry of National Education has been working in an effort to give vocational education to adult immigrants and reinforce their social integration.
 
"Turkish education is vital as the key to integration is learning the language of this country," Özer added.