Discussions on Turkish Minority Education in Greece
In a statement made on social media by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), it was reminding that a Greek primary school was opened in Gökçeada for 3 students, and a primary school for 20 students was opened in Romania. However, attention was drawn to the closure of autonomous Turkish primary schools in Greece on the pretext of low student numbers.
There have been reactions to MP Sirigos’ statements regarding minority education and kindergartens. The ABTTF stated that the demands of Western Thrace Turks for bilingual kindergartens have been ignored for years. In his speech in Parliament, Sirigos opposed the demand of Western Thrace Turks for bilingual kindergartens, describing the demand as “provocative”.
In the compulsive kindergarten system that the Greek government introduced in 2017, minority children are required to receive their pre-primary education in state kindergartens that provide education only in Greek. The Turkish minority’s demand for bilingual kindergartens that provide education in both Greek and Turkish is left unanswered by the Greek authorities.
The Greek State’s Policy of Closing Turkish Primary Schools
The Greek Ministry of Education announced on July 18, 2024, that a total of 4 Turkish primary schools will be closed in Western Thrace, namely Hacıören, Keziren and Payamlar in the Rhodope province and Karaköy in Xanthi. This decision has led to a continuous increase in the number of Turkish minority primary schools that have been systematically closed since 2011 due to insufficient number of students. The number of minority schools currently operating in Western Thrace has decreased to 86. In fact, in 1995, there were 231 minority schools operating in Western Thrace.
The Greek government states that many primary schools belonging to the Turkish minority in Western Thrace have been closed or merged since 2011 as part of administrative reform efforts. Although the Greek administration describes this as a “suspension” due to a lack of students rather than a “closure,” Western Thrace parents believe that this step aims to direct minority students to Greek state schools.
