LAHORE: Emotional farewells for the Turkish teachers are being held ahead of their departure.

The students, who have been groomed and educated by the Turkish teachers at the PakTurk schools, seem down in the dumps since word about their mentors’ departure got round. The teachers are scheduled to leave Pakistan in the coming week following the government’s deadline.

“It’s a very simple demand of the students and the Pakistani staff that the government plead the Turkish teachers’ case and facilitate their stay,” says an official of the PakTurk School’s Raiwind Road branch.

On Saturday, a number of students of the PakTurk schools attended a ceremony at a private institution, where some of them (students) were announced as qualifying for an international competition with the Globe by next year in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair - USA.

The PakTurk schools’ students have won distinctions many times as Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi campuses hold three special awards.

“I salute all Turkish teachers who supported and prepared these students with enthusiastic efforts. Hail PakTurk schools, the best schools in Pakistan,” says the official.

A farewell party was held on Friday as well wherein the students and their parents paid tribute to the academics who considered Pakistan a home away from home.

A Pakistani teacher said: “It is difficult to explain the trauma the students of the PakTurk schools have been facing.

It’s only because of love the foreign teachers showered on the students.”

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2016