Hakim Hayat
A Turkish language course for Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali’s (UNISSA) academic and administrative staff began yesterday.
The 12-week programme, organised by the Embassy of Turkey in Brunei Darussalam, aimed to meet a “demand for language learning and interaction with Turkish society”, according to Ambassador of Turkey to Brunei Darussalam Professor Dr Hamit Ersoy.
The Yunus Emre Institute in Kuala Lumpur, a Turkish language and culture promotion centre is providing logistical support.
“The local response to our language courses has been really encouraging as it is through this people-to-people cultural exchange that closer mutual understandings and deeper meaningful bonds can flourish,” said the ambassador.
UNISSA Rector Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal said Turkish language has been growing in importance, and has ties with the history of Islamic civilisation. He added that many Bruneians also visit Turkey for the country’s historical sites. They hope to offer the course to the public in the future, he said.
Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also inked between the university and the Turkish Embassy, aiming to initiate a legal framework for long-term cooperation between education institutions in both countries.
