Greece Ignores Turkish Education: 4 More Turkish Schools Closed
Greece has closed four more Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace, causing significant outrage among the Turkish community in the region. According to a decision by the Greek Ministry of Education on July 18, 2024, Hacıören, Keziren, and Payamlar primary schools in the Rodopi region and the Karaköy primary school in Xanthi will be closed. This decision is considered a violation of the Treaty of Lausanne and the bilateral agreements between Turkey and Greece.
Greece has closed four more Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace, causing significant outrage among the Turkish community in the region. According to a decision by the Greek Ministry of Education on July 18, 2024, Hacıören, Keziren, and Payamlar primary schools in the Rodopi region and the Karaköy primary school in Xanthi will be closed. This decision is considered a violation of the Treaty of Lausanne and the bilateral agreements between Turkey and Greece.
Closure of Minority Schools
With this decision, the number of Turkish minority schools in Western Thrace has dropped to 86. Aydın Ahmet, President of the Union of Turkish Teachers of Western Thrace, stated that this situation violates the Treaty of Lausanne, saying, "Greece continues to close our schools consistently. In 1995, we had 231 schools, but today we have only 86."
Decline in Education Quality
Greece has prevented teachers who graduated from Turkey from working, leading to a decline in the quality of education. Teachers trained at the Thessaloniki Special Pedagogy Academy, established in 1968, were appointed to Turkish minority schools without sufficient Turkish language education, which negatively affected the quality of education and caused children to move to state schools.
Assimilation Policy
Aydın Ahmet pointed out that Greece's main goal is to assimilate the Turkish minority by closing minority schools, saying, "Minority schools are the only places where Turkish culture is preserved, and the Turkish language is spoken. When these schools are closed, the Turkish identity of the minority will also disappear."
Contradictory Practices
Ozan Ahmetoğlu, President of the Xanthi Turkish Union, noted that Greece follows a contradictory policy, stating, "On one hand, they close schools due to a lack of students, while on the other, they ignore the fact that existing schools are insufficient." Ahmetoğlu emphasized that schools with increased student numbers are not reopened and that this situation negatively impacts the quality of education.
Calls for Dialogue and Consultation
Ahmetoğlu stressed the need for the Greek government to establish a dialogue with minorities and educational institutions, saying, "We expect Greece to consult with us to improve and develop minority education and schools. We will continue to seek our rights legally and respect the laws of this country."
These developments once again highlight the pressures and assimilation policies that Greece is imposing on the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.