Turkish school opens in Budapest

Maarif International School in Hungary (1)

Photo: Facebook/Maarif International Schools Hungary

The government would declare the renovation of the building of a private Turkish school in Budapest to be a matter of top priority for the national economy.

After the renovation and reconstruction of the property at 52 Hernád Street in District VII, the Turkish Maarif Foundation Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary and Secondary School would start its operations in September 2024.

According to a regulation published in the Hungarian Gazette on Tuesday evening, the government has decided on the organisation and financing of the Hungarian-Turkish joint cultural year 2024.

Declaring the investment a matter of top priority

“The purpose of the investment is the renovation and transformation of the property at 33379, parcel number 33379, in kind at Hernád Street 52, 1078 Budapest, which was previously used to house a public education institution.”

According to telex.hu, the reason for declaring the investment a matter of top priority in terms of the national economy is to simplify and accelerate the administrative licensing procedures related to the renovation and transformation of the property owned by Maarif Hungary Property Ltd.

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The organisation is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to who the Wise Men of the Organization of Turkic States would award the Nobel Peace Prize due to his successful mediation role in the Russia-Ukraine war. The organisation first opened a school in Budapest in 2019, in the IX district of Ifjúmunkás Street.

The Maarif Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary School and Secondary School is run by Maarif Hungary Nonprofit Ltd., which is owned by the Maarif Foundation of Turkey, according to 24.hu. The foundation was established by the Turkish government in 2016 and since then, several schools have been opened around the world.

The foundation was set up by the Turkish government after the failed military coup against Erdoğan in 2016. The coup was plotted against the Turkish PM by his former ally, the cleric Fetuallah Gülen, and carried out by soldiers who once studied in Gülen’s schools. In the past, the Turkish government had spent a huge sum on setting up schools around the world. These were set up by Gülen, who was still an ally of Erdoğan back then and who ran schools, colleges and even universities in almost every country from Venezuela to Indonesia.

According to the Maarif Foundation website, they currently have 429 educational institutions in 67 countries, including Hungary. In the European Union, besides Hungary, Romania, France and Germany each have an institution.

Viktor Orbán has met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at Karmelita. During the meeting, they agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations between Hungary and Turkey.

“Hungary is committed to the development of economic relations and will do its utmost to achieve the six billion dollar Hungarian-Turkish bilateral turnover,”

said Viktor Orbán.