Ankara to launch new schools in Morocco next year

Turkish authorities will launch new Turkish schools in Morocco by next year after they pushed for the shutdown of Gülen schools in January this year, a source close to the Turkish government says.

The new schools will open next year, Moroccan daily Al Massae reported Tuesday, quoting Mustapha Ghoukous, a member of Wakef Fund.

According to the daily’s correspondent in Turkey, Mustapha Ghoukous also pointed that the Turkish government is putting in place a strategy that is in line with the Moroccan education ministry’s policy, and contrary to the Gülen schools, which, he claimed, “wanted to train terrorists”.

The future schools will get funding from the Wakef fund, which champions education and knowledge, Ghoukous further noted.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry early January requested the shutdown of Turkish schools affiliated to Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric based in the US.

“Investigations on the establishments of the Mohamed Al-Fatih group, linked to Turkish national Fethullah Gülen, showed that they use education to spread the group’s ideology and ideas contrary to the principles of the Moroccan educational and religious system,” the Interior Ministry had then explained.

Ankara had hailed the Moroccan Government’s decision to close down the schools.

Gülen, a former close ally of Turkish president, has been blacklisted by the Turkish government.