Turkish Schools in Tanzania Hold Graduation Ceremony
The graduation ceremony of Feza Turkish schools in Tanzania was held in Dar es Salaam with the participation of students' families, diplomats and Tanzanian officials, as well as students who performed various shows during the event.
Turkish Ambassador in Dar es Salaam Sander Gündüz, his wife, Durhan Gürdüz, and a number of Tanzanian officials were present at the graduation ceremony, in addition to 149 students who graduated from Feza schools. Speaking at the ceremony, İbrahim Biçakçi, headmaster of Feza Boys' Secondary School in Dar es Salaam, said the first Turkish school was opened in Tanzania in 1998 with 20 students and now four Turkish schools operate in the country with a total of 1,267 students.
Noting that Turkish schools became popular very quickly and their students have been very successful in exams required to receive a high school diploma, Biçakçi said: "Thanks to this success, we have drawn the attention of Tanzanians. As a result of the success of our schools, state officials also prefer our schools. Some 2,000 students applied to one of our schools that has space for 72 students. The daughter of President [Jakaya Mrisho] Kikwete, Defense Minister [Hussein Ali] Mwinyi's son and the grandchild of the education minister are among the children of high-level bureaucrats who attend these schools."
Gündüz also spoke at the ceremony and said Turkey is proud of the success of Turkish schools in Tanzania. "We have a lot to do here. High-quality education provided by our schools also eases our efforts," he said.
Following the speeches, Feza Boys' Secondary School's dance group took the stage and performed a kolbasti, a popular regional folk dance in Turkey, receiving loud applause from guests. Following the kolbasti show, the group from Feza Girls' Secondary School enacted a kina gecesi, or "henna night," which is traditionally organized for brides before their weddings in Turkey.
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