"It was Erdogan's request", VOA: Shadow of doubt about the closure of Gülenist schools in Albania

2022-09-23 19:51:19Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"It was Erdogan's request", VOA: Shadow of doubt about the
Mehmet Akif Turkish College

In Albania, the Turkish college Mehmet Akif, a non-public educational institution and kindergarten for children "Zübeyde Hanım", part of "Turgut Ozal Education", reacted today to the decision of the authorities to close their activity. They claim that the decision is unfair.

The Ministry of Education said today, in the case of the Mehmet Akif college, that the reason was the beginning of the teaching process in an environment not previously approved by it. Mehmet Akif College is part of the Gulistan Foundation, linked to the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen. The measure of the Albanian authorities raises doubts that behind it lies the repeated request of the Turkish president to close all activities financed by Gülen in Albania.

The students of the Turkish College "Mehmet Akif" protested today in the school yard, after a day before the government decided to close it, a few days after the start of the new season. They were joined by teachers and various parents, while they lined up the medals and evaluations received by the authorities for the high results. The college has been operating since the beginning of the 90s in Albania.

In an explanation for the decision, the Minister of Education, Evis Kushi, pointed out that the College has started the teaching process in a new location and environment, not approved by the Ministry, and that the legal criteria have not been met even though they have been verified twice.

But director Mustafa Ertekin gave a different version. According to him, the communication with the ministry started more than three months ago and the remarks were, in one case, about the position of the board, which turned out to be inappropriate with the angle of the light, and in another case about the gym. According to him, both remarks have been taken into consideration. He expressed his surprise at the decision: "At this moment, I cannot convince neither the students, nor the parents, nor the employees that these are conditions to close an institution"

The college is part of the "Gulistan" foundation, linked to the Turkish cleric Fetullah Gulen, announced by the Turkish authorities as the mastermind of the failed coup in July 2016. Since then, Ankara has repeatedly called for the closure of activities financed by Gulen, or the Feto organization. This request was a refrain of the public declarations of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Tirana in January of this year. Even in his speech in parliament, he made an open warning, when he said that this issue is seen as a "prerequisite for brotherhood, friendship and strategic partnership" between the two countries.

Ministria e Arsimit hodhi poshtë dyshimet e forta se pas vendimit të saj qëndronte pikërisht këmbëngulja e Turqisë. Po ashtu dhe kryeministri Edi Rama, në një postim në Twitter, u shpreh se nuk ka vend për teori konspirative dhe se qëllimi i vetëm ka qenë “zbatimi i barabartë i ligjit në rastin e heqjes së një liçence shkolle si plot të tjera më pare”.

Me të njejtën, arsye, atë të mosmiratimit të ndryshimit të vendndodhjes, që prej javës së shkuar është njoftuar dhe mbyllja e aktivitetit të kopshtit për fëmijë “Zybeide Hanim”, pjesë e Turgut Ozal Education. Por në këtë rast, kopështi ndodhet në godinën aktuale që prej vitit 2004, dhe sipas drejtuesve të tij, por dhe avokatit Isuf Shehu, në atë kohë, miratimi i vendndodhjes nuk ishte kërkesë ligjore. Ata shpjeguan se në zbatim të rekomandimeve të inspektimit, kishin paraqitur megjithatë kërkesë në muajin shkurt të këtij viti për miratimin e vendndodhjes, dhe se përgjigja kishte ardhur vetëm javën e shkuar, pas 7 muajsh, ku kërkesa refuzohej, pasi mungonte akti higjieno sanitar.

"Circumstances lead us to believe that we have been confronted with such a fact based on a situation outside the sphere of law enforcement, which is not related to education", declared today Gentiana Burimi, director of the kindergarten.

Turgut Ozal Education has also been part of Gulen's financing, but for several years it has officially changed owners, passing to a company based in the Netherlands, but owned by some Turkish citizens./VOA


Video