Erdoğan: FETÖ-linked schools shut down in more than 50 countries

Speaking at the Türkiye Maarif Foundation’s 10th anniversary program, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said FETÖ-linked schools had been fully or partially closed in more than 50 countries as a result of the fight waged after the July 15 coup attempt.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 15, 2026, 07:41 PMUpdated: October 15, 2026, 07:51 PM

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke on Oct. 15 at a program marking the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Türkiye Maarif Foundation.

"After July 15, we accelerated an all-out fight against FETÖ. While cutting off the organization’s arms and legs at home, we focused on dismantling the dens of sedition it ran abroad under the mask of educational institutions," Erdoğan said.

"Schools closed in more than 50 countries"

"Thanks to the intensive efforts of our Foreign Ministry, our Maarif Foundation and other institutions, we ensured the full or partial closure of FETÖ-linked schools in more than 50 countries," Erdoğan said, adding that the Türkiye Maarif Foundation took on important responsibilities in taking over these institutions and that utmost care was taken so that students would not be harmed or have their education disrupted.

"FETÖ, which in the past turned Türkiye’s image and reputation in various parts of the world into a shield of legitimacy for its dirty and dark ambitions, is today not even mentioned in many countries," he said.

The Türkiye Maarif Foundation was established under Law No. 6721, which entered into force on June 17, 2016.

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