Rwandan university to start Turkish language courses

JOHANNESBURG

Turkey’s Yunus Emre Institute, in cooperation with the University of Rwanda, will start Turkish language courses and cultural and academic exchange programs, Turkey’s envoy to the East African nation said on Monday.

Ambassador Burcu Cevik told Anadolu Agency in an email interview that a delegation headed by Yavuz Kartallioglu, director of Turkish Language at the Yunus Emre Institute, visited Rwandan capital Kigali from April 12-17 to meet the university’s top officials.

Cevik said the institute will soon be sending a lecturer from Turkey to Kigali to start Turkish courses at the university.

“Those who are interested in learning Turkish for academic and business purposes will be able to do so soon in Rwanda,” she said, adding that the program will most likely start this year.

The diplomat revealed that the Turkish cultural institute and the university signed an agreement on cooperation in December 2019. “The MoU will be implemented with the initiation of Turkish language courses,” she said.

Cevik added that Turkey has declared 2021 as "The Yunus Emre and Turkish Language Year," and Turkish courses in Rwanda will help bring people of the two countries closer.

“Cooperation will be strengthened further with academic and cultural exchanges, hopefully turning into a fully functioning Turkish Cultural and Language Center within the university,” she said.

Flourishing relations

Although Turkey established its embassy in Kigali only in 2014, the bilateral relations today are at their best, according to Cevik.

The two countries have already signed 20 cooperative agreements in fields ranging from education to trade and investment, she said, adding that Turkey is supporting Rwanda in its endeavors to strengthen its human capital in all fields.

“Turkey has been providing full scholarships to Rwandan students for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Turkey. So far more than 200 Rwandan students have benefited."

The Turkish envoy said different Turkish institutions are offering trainings to their counterparts in security and defense fields. "Very recently Diplomacy Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey organized an online diplomatic training program for 41 newly-recruited Rwandan diplomats,” Cevik said.

She shared that Turkey is in the process of opening a Technical and Vocational Education Training college in Rwanda to enable youth gain valuable skills.