Turkish government presents scholarships to 250 students
Since the inception of the Turkish Government Scholarship programme in 2011, about 250 Ghanaian students have benefited from it.
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Out of the number, 70 of the beneficiaries have completed their courses while 180 are still in the Eurasia country studying various programmes at the master’s level.
The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Nesrin Bayazit, disclosed this in a media interview last Monday.
She was speaking after a dinner organised by the embassy for Turkish graduates.
The night brought together 33 fresh beneficiaries, who are yet to leave Ghana to start their programmes in Turkey and those who have completed their courses and are back here in Ghana.
Some of the past beneficiaries are frustrated about their inability to secure jobs since their return.
They are made up of master’s degree graduates in petroleum, petrochemical and electrical engineering, medicine and economics, among others.
Enhancing relationships
The 250 beneficiaries of the Turkish Government Scholarship were selected by the Ghana unit of the Turks Abroad and Related Communities, a special initiative by that country’s government started in 2011 to help allocate scholarships for international students.
In addition to those who have benefited or are benefiting from the Turkish government’s benevolence, Madam Bayazit said 106 other Ghanaian students were studying in various cities throughout the country.
This brings to 356, the number of Ghanaians that have studied or are studying in Turkey.
Beyond helping to enrich the knowledge and expertise of the students, the ambassador said the Turkish Government Scholarship was another opportune window to further enhance the relationship between the two countries.
She entreated the past beneficiaries to put their knowledge to proper use to help enhance the lives of their people while growing local economies.
Madam Bayazit cautioned those yet to go against joining bad groups that could destroy their future. She notified the students of some radical groups in and around Turkey that had the tendency of luring them into bad acts with dire consequences.
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Employment concerns
While emphasising her government’s commitment to continue with the scholarship programme, the ambassador noted that it was regrettable that some of the beneficiaries were unable to secure jobs since completing their courses.
She said the Turkish government was not just interested in helping educate young persons in the country but was keen on ensuring that they put the knowledge to proper use.
“This will help enhance their own lives and deter them from joining radical groups.
“I was just talking to two of the students, who studied Petroleum Engineering in one of the best universities in Turkey. One of them was the best in his term but unfortunately, they are still unemployed after their return to Ghana,” she said.
Given the implications on the lives of the people, Madam Bayazit said her outfit had resolved to, among other things, help increase Turkish investments in Ghana to help absorb some of the teeming youth.
She mentioned the government’s flagship district industrialisation programme, the one-district, one-factory, as one of the initiatives the embassy was looking at taking advantage of.
So far, she said interests from Turkish investors in the country’s economy had been encouraging and expressed the hope that more companies would set up businesses here to help the youth to benefit from the various opportunities.
Like their counterparts in Turkey, Madam Bayazit also encouraged Ghanaian investors to take advantage of business opportunities in Turkey to help employ teeming young Turks.
