İmam-hatip schools in demand for export

There are already imam-hatip schools in Bulgaria, and Pakistani officials recently sought help from Turkish authorities to bring this model to their country. The Russian Federation two weeks ago sent a delegation to Turkey to examine the model, too. Furthermore, there is an imam-hatip school in Kayseri set up to train only students coming from abroad. Another branch of this school will soon be established in İstanbul.

A recent discussion regarding imam-hatip schools in Turkey stemming from attempts by the Higher Education Board (YÖK) to put an end to discriminatory practices resulting from the use of a coefficient system that automatically reduces the university entrance exam scores of vocational high school graduates has been welcomed by many observers as it is seen as an attempt to eradicate the impact of the Feb. 28, 1997 postmodern coup on Turkey’s education system.

While Turkey was busy discussing this with a delegation from the Russian Federation, Ministry of Culture and Tourism officials and advisers to the Presidency two weeks ago met with the Turkish Ministry of Education, the Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV). According to an agreement between the two countries, 100 students from Russia will receive post-graduate education in Islam in Turkey next year. Some professors of theology will be sent to Russia from Turkey as well.

The Russian authorities also asked to examine Turkey’s imam-hatip model and implement it in their own country to educate its increasing Muslim population. There are more than 500 imam-hatip schools in Turkey educating more than 100,000 students. The curriculum followed at these schools is similar to other secondary schools but has additional courses on Islam. Girls are also able to attend those schools. On a recent visit of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Pakistan, his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, asked him about Turkish imam-hatip schools and told him that they are interested in taking those schools as a role model.

Religious schools in Pakistan are considered the main source of human capital for the Taliban, and discussions abound on their role in increasing fundamentalism. However, Association of İmam-Hatip Graduates President Hüseyin Korkut said that although they are proud of being taken as an example, they are not happy about the possibility of the schools being used as a tool to intervene in Islamic thought.

“Of course imam-hatip schools should shed light on Islam and the profession of being an imam, and we are happy to be a model, but to be the tool for dividing Islam into radical and moderate makes us unhappy. We do not want to be part of manipulative efforts of international powers in Pakistan,” Korkut told Sunday’s Zaman.

He also added that to be taken as an example abroad while being treated contemptuously at home is very interesting. “In a globalized world, to be taken as a model gives us a responsibility. To reflect the experience we have gained in the best way possible cannot only be left to the government; this is also our duty,” he said.

Kayseri’s Mustafa Gerimli İmam-Hatip School is educating 325 students from Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Thailand and Ukraine.

These students are in Turkey as part of 1993 agreements signed between the TDV and the students’ respective countries. Accommodation costs for the students are paid for by the foundation, and they visit their countries once a year. In their first year, the students study Turkish. After that, they continue with the standard imam-hatip curriculum.

Ön Asya University to attract students from abroad

The Ön Asya University, soon to be opened by the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) in İstanbul, aims to attract students from Balkan countries and the Turkic republics. Tayyar Altıkulaç, a member of the board of trustees of Ön Asya University, said on Wednesday that the Turkic republics and Balkan countries are their target market. Underlining that they will accept many Turkish students as well, Altıkulaç said they will provide scholarships for successful applicants from the Balkan and Turkic states.

“The university will offer departments of education, literature, health and economic and administrative sciences,” he noted. Altıkulaç added that there will also be various research centers and pointed out that their primary aim is not to make a profit but to provide high quality education to students. The TDV, which has long planned to establish a university, has awarded scholarships to approximately 111,000 students over the past 25 years.