KU to establish Turkish language department

A two-member delegation from Turkey educational institutions discussed establishing a Turkish department at the University of Karachi (KU).

The proposed department would offer the study of the Turkish language and educate students about Turkish cultural values, literature, history, and other aspects of modern and old Turkey.

The head of the Urdu Department at Istanbul University Professor Dr Halil Toker, and Vice President of Yunus Emre Institute Assistant Professor Dr Abdullah Kutalmis Yalcin, visited the University of Karachi on Thursday and met the KU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi. The Dean of Arts and Social Sciences Professor Dr Nusrat Idress was also present on the occasion.

Addressing the occasion, Dr Abdullah Kutalmis Yalcin expressed his confidence that the project will manage to get the attention of a large number of students as the department will also provide Turkish expertise certification and levelled diploma courses for the KU students.

Professor Dr Halil Toker informed the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi that a large number of Pakistani students are now going to Turkey for studies, but as they do not have any background regarding the language, they have to spend at least a year learning the Turkish language.

The visitors shared that they would also like to initiate a faculty and students exchange programme so that the students could learn about the Turkish language.

Appreciating the proposal, the KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that he would like to start a language certificate and diploma courses in the initial stage, and later a Turkish department would be established at the University of Karachi.

He believes that the proposed project would provide good opportunities for Pakistani students as they would be able to learn the Turkish language, which will help to make the relations between the two countries stronger.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2023.