Bolu Mayor Özcan targets foreign students with new decision

Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan stated in a press briefing that there has been an increase in the number of students coming from Africa to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University (BAİBÜ). 

Claiming that Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kürtül, who was appointed as the BAİBÜ International Student Coordinator, was responsible for the increase in the number of foreign students from Africa at Karabük University, Özcan demanded the dismissal of both Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alişarlı and İbrahim Kürtül, whom he alleged organized the arrival of these students. 

Stating that the number of African students in Bolu is also increasing, Mayor Özcan announced that there will be an astronomical hike in bus ticket prices for foreign students from Africa.

"IT IS NOT CLEAR WHO THEY ARE"

Stating that the number of foreign students in Bolu has increased 15-fold in 3 years, Mayor Özcan said, “Currently, according to our findings, there are students from 102 countries in Bolu.

We do not even know which schools these students graduated from in their own countries. Agencies have popped up. They apply to these agencies from Somalia. The agency tells them, ‘If we register you at this university, it will cost 18 thousand liras,’ it says.

Excluding their own commission. The university receives a small amount of money from them, but the cost to the university is much higher. As a municipality, our powers are limited.

We will impose an astronomical hike on the bus tickets of students who have arrived in this manner. Apart from that, we are discussing among ourselves what else we can do. It is not clear whether these people are students or not. It is not clear whether they have been involved in any crimes, it is not clear who they are,” he said.

News Source: İHA