Pakistan to sign agreement with Turkey’s Maarif Foundation

January 14, 2021

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Pakistani government On Tuesday agreed to sign an agreement between the Ministry of Education and the Turkish Maarif Foundation to improve literacy in Pakistan.

The approval was obtained at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the capital, Islamabad, according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office.

The agreement is expected to be formalized during a two-day visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, which begins on Wednesday.

The agreement will be signed by Kavusoglu and Pakistani Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, according to Harun Kukkaladagli, director of the Maarif Foundation in Pakistan.

Harun told Anadolu that once the agreement is concluded, the foundation, which currently has the status of an international non-governmental organization, will be considered a Turkish government agency in Pakistan.

“In fact, this is an intergovernmental agreement between Pakistan and Turkey,Once signed, Maarif will be able to expand its activities in Pakistan in terms of opening and operating new campuses, cultural and educational centers, language centers, student exchange programs and scholarships.”

Maarif Foundation currently has 27 schools and colleges throughout Pakistan, providing quality education to about 12,000 students in 10 cities, including Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

The number of faculty and non-faculty members associated with these academic institutions is over 1,700.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the management of foreign schools previously associated with the Fethullah terrorist organization (FETO). The foundation took control of schools in Pakistan in January 2019.