The Head of the Georgia-Turkey Friendship Group, the Chair of the Diaspora and Caucasus Issues Committee, Beka Odisharia participated in an official ceremony of the opening of a new International Maarif school in Tbilisi.

He congratulated the attendees, the administration of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, the pedagogues and the children on the opening of a new school. As he noted, the establishment of Maarif schools in Georgia stands as an immense investment in the education sphere. He dwelt on the importance of education, which implies the provision of a proper education to have qualified youth.

“Education is imperative and the operation of the International Maarif Schools in Georgia will serve as a principal link of cooperation in the education sphere between the two strategic partner countries. We are committed to getting actively engaged in and supporting such projects”, - he noted.

The International Maarif Schools have been established in Georgia on the basis of the International Maarit Foundation under the aegis of Turkey. The foundation conducts educational activity in 67 countries and has 446 schools in 51 of them.

After Tbilisi, a new school is opening in Marneuli tomorrow. These schools are equipped with modern technologies and the campuses of the European standards. At that, it is particularly noteworthy that the academic process in schools is held according to the Georgian national syllabus.

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Education Minister of Georgia, Nodar Papukashvili; the Deputy Education Minister of Turkey, Ömer Faruk Yelkenci; Single Mandate MP for Istanbul, Tuğba Işık Ercan; the Ambassador of Turkey to Georgia, H.E. Ali Kaan Orbay; the President of the Maarif Foundation, Birol Akgün; the Director of the Maarif Foundation in Georgia, Ali Sedat Aslan; the representatives of the diplomatic corps, Tbilisi City Hall and Assembly, international foundations, universities, educational circle, business sector and other honorary guests.