Turkish institute promotes Turkification in NW Syria
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – The Turkish Yunus Emre Cultural Institute has started on Tuesday providing aid to schools in the northern countryside of Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria, on the condition of teaching the Turkish language to students.
An official in the Salvation Government, the political wing of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) which controls much of Idlib Governorate, told North Press that the institute provided students with gifts along with financial assistance to employees working in both private and public schools located in the camps of Atmeh, al-Bardeghli, Killi, and Deir Hassan.
The source added that the Turkish institute will provide financial support on the condition that Turkish language is taught to students of both genders, aged between seven and 12, taking advantage of the deteriorating living conditions.
In late October, the same institute, in collaboration with the Turkey-affiliated Tel Abyad Local Council in the city of Tel Abyad in northern Syria, announced the distribution of a food basket to every family residing in the city and its surroundings, provided that their children are enrolled in authorized centers for learning Turkish culture and language.
The Yunus Emre Cultural Institute is considered Turkey’s primary tool for promoting its language abroad. In August, a branch of the institute was established in the countryside of Aleppo, northwestern Syria. This initiative is part of a larger campaign aimed at providing Turkish language education to approximately 300,000 children.
The source said the current number of schools within the camps that have agreed to these conditions has surpassed 23. These schools have already received financial support, which was distributed on Tuesday.