Syrian students who were promised a high school education in Turkey by a Turkish non-profit organization have been stripped of their scholarships and sent back home, Independent Turkish reported.
Last year the Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV), which is linked to the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), administered an entrance exam in northern Syria. Students who were successful in the exam were promised a four-year education at religious vocational high schools and were brought to Turkey.
According to TDV officials, in the space of a year the students were not issued temporary protection identification documents by the Directorate General of Migration and Management (DGMM) and therefore could no longer legally reside in Turkey.
Twenty-nine students were brought to central Turkey’s Kayseri province and sent back to Syria in groups over the course of a week. One of the students who did not want to return to Syria ran away from the boarding school.
The last two students waiting to be sent back pleaded with authorities to be allowed to stay in Turkey. Hacı Dada, 16, said his father was killed during the Syrian civil war and that he did not want to return.
The TDV provides scholarships to non-Turkish Muslim youngster all around the world. According to information provided on their website, the TDV is responsible for covering their tuition, accommodations, visas, airline tickets and health insurance.
