In the part titled “A Page from History” this time we share with you a scene from 2010: Pakistan finals of the Turkish Olympiads. We relate the final gala held in Islamabad on March 4 in a festive mood through the reporting of the Cihan News Agency.

The Pakistani students, who have been studying in the Turkish schools serving for 15 years in friendly and brotherly country Pakistan, competed with one another for the ‘best performance in Turkish language’. Students who displayed their talents and proficiency in Turkish will participate in the 9th Turkish Olympiads to be held this year by the International Turkish Teaching Association.

The competition, attended by the students of the PakTurk Educational Institutions opened by Turkish entrepreneurs in Pakistan and turned into a feast of Turkish language, was held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. 200 students from all over Pakistan competed in the Turkish song, poetry, presentation, grammar, speaking and writing categories. At the end of the all-Pakistan rounds of the Turkish Olympiads, 40 students made it to the finals.

The Turkish Olympiads Pakistan Final started with the national anthems of the two countries and continued with the students performing traditional folk dances. In speaking and writing, grammar, poetry and songs in Turkish, the students put their best skills forward in front of a jury of Turkish and Pakistani experts. The members of the jury stated that they had difficulty in choosing the students each of whom spoke Turkish efficiently in the finals.

The program was attended by former Minister of State Işılay Saygın, officials from the Turkish Ministry of National Education, businessmen, ambassadors of Turkey, Azerbaijan and TRNC, Turkish citizens living in Pakistan and numerous guests who exclusively arrived from Turkey to attend the gala.

At the end of the competitions in different categories, PakTurk Islamabad Boys Section student Abubakar Farooqi won the first place with the song “Gülpembe” (Rosepink) with lyrics and music by Barış Manço, while Alkanz Rizwan from PakTurk Lahore Girls Section won the first place in Turkish poetry recitation with the poem ‘Seninle başladı, bitsin seninle’ (It started with you, let it end with you). Karimullah Khan from PakTurk Quetta Boys Section got the first position in Turkish speaking and Suhail Siddique from PakTurk Multan Boys Section got the first place in Turkish writing and qualified as the winners of the finals to represent Pakistan at the 8th International Turkish Olympiads to be held in Istanbul between 26 May and 9 June 2010.

Presenting the awards to the students who excelled in the finals of the Turkish Olympiads in Pakistan, former Minister of State Saygin congratulated the businesspeople who opened these schools and the teachers who taught Turkish for their valuable services.

Expressing her feelings after the program, Saygın said: “I was very touched when I came here from miles away and saw the Turkish-speaking schoolchildren. I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the teachers and administrators of these institutions. I hope the Turkish language will spread all over the world.”

Businessman Murat Coşkun said they were proud of the students of the PakTurk Educational Institutions for their performances in the competition and added, “The achievements in Pakistan are enormous. We came from Ankara to represent the Anatolian tradesmen. We always stand behind the education volunteers.”

The Turkish schools, which were opened in Pakistan in 1995, educate nearly 5000 students in 7 cities of Pakistan. PakTurk Schools were conferred the Sitara-e Eisaar (The Star of Altruism), which is considered the greatest civilian award conferred by the Government of Pakistan, with the decision passed by the National Assembly of Pakistan last year.