Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Somali students who received scholarships to study in Turkey have expressed their dreams of returning to Somalia once they have graduated to work in various fields, primarily in health and education, and help build the country's infrastructure.
Speaking to Today's Zaman on Saturday, the students said they look forward to finishing their studies and returning to their country to work in various sectors in which there is a shortage workers. Education and health in Somalia are two fields that drastically need improving.
İbrahim Şıhmuhammed underlined that Somalia urgently needs improved education and healthcare systems, adding that most of his friends would like to become either teachers or doctors.
Ahmet Muhammed Ali and Saidi Ahmet Muhammed said they want to go into the medical profession and pointed out that many of their relatives had lost their lives either because of civil war or due to the poor health services.
“We feel at home here. Our teachers give us confidence,” said Muhammed, adding that his ambition was to become a doctor.
In addition to medicine, other students see themselves going into other professions that would also benefit Somalia. Student Abdülkerim Yalahow said he wanted to be a construction engineer and build many buildings in Somalia.
Zekeriya Ali is striving to become an electrical engineer and would like bring the Internet and other technological advances to Somalia. “I want to lighten up all the streets of Somalia. I don't want to see darkness anymore in the country. I want to illuminate its beautiful sides,” he said.
Roughly 400 Somali students have been receiving education in high schools and universities under a sponsorship program of the Turkish Ministry of Education since the beginning of the academic year. The students were selected following an exam that was taken by 10,000 students in Mogadishu last month.
‘Turkish doctors perform admirably in Somalia'
Somali Deputy Health Minister Moalim Ali Aden Adow, who was injured in bomb attack two weeks ago in Mogadishu and received medical treatment at Fatih University Hospital in Ankara, said he admired the extraordinary performance of Turkish doctors in Somalia.
Speaking during a visit to the Ankara branch of charity organization Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody there?) on Saturday, after his release from the hospital, he noted that Turkish doctors had performed admirably in Mogadishu, going above and beyond what a medical professional is expected to do.
Source: Today's Zaman