Manama: Turkey is planning to open its first school in the Gulf soon, the Turkish ambassador to Qatar has said.
"With the increase in the number of Turks who work in Qatar, the embassy is considering opening a formal Turkish school," Hakkı Emre Yunt said. "It will provide a formal education for the Turkish community in Qatar whose members work in the construction and service sectors," the ambassador told local Arabic daily Al Sharq.
The Qatari government has allocated the plot of land for the school that could also be used in the evening to teach Turkish to people keen on learning the language, he said.
Turkish culture
"This will help spread the Turkish culture and will boost relations with Qatar in all sectors, mainly in politics and the economy," he said.
Yunt said that several Turkish families have had hesitations about moving to Qatar amid concerns there was no school for their children.
"We do hope that the school will be a significant factor to help several Turkish families move to Qatar," he said.
Work on the school building is expected to start at the end of the year.
"It will be under the supervision of the embassy and will follow the Turkish curriculum," the ambassador told the daily.
Around 7,000 Turks live in Qatar.
