Ozan Ahmetoğlu is right: These schools are about more than education – They are about identity

We’ve reached that season again… Schools are closing, report cards are being handed out. But in Western Thrace, what really matters isn’t the grades — it’s which school entrance a child walks through. Because for a child of the Muslim Turkish Minority here, school choice isn’t just about education. It’s a choice about identity, belonging, and the future.

That’s why the recent call by Ozan Ahmetoğlu, President of the School Board of the Xanthi Minority Middle and High School, should be seen not as a routine statement — but as a collective warning, even a call to conscience.

In a special interview with MİLLET newspaper, Ahmetoğlu not only explained the upcoming registration period but also introduced a campaign to support minority education. His words reflect more than a procedural update; they reflect our shared reality.

“Our children will find a system similar to what they’re used to in minority schools. The Xanthi Minority School is their home,” says Ahmetoğlu.

And he’s right.

Because this school is one of the living, breathing symbols of the Western Thracian Turkish Minority’s right to receive education in its own language, in a way that respects its own culture. These schools are not just about academics — they are extensions of the Treaty of Lausanne, international law, and above all, our community’s determination to exist and endure.

These Are Not Ordinary Schools

Ahmetoğlu emphasizes another crucial point in his statement to MİLLET:

“At our school, we offer bilingual education in both Turkish and Greek. This allows our students to strengthen their mother tongue while also gaining proficiency in the official language of the country.”

This is important. These schools are not one-sided or exclusionary. Quite the opposite — they cultivate a balanced, dual identity. On one side, they preserve the values and culture of the minority. On the other, they raise individuals who are fluent in the language and culture of the wider society.

Then why, despite this clarity, do some parents still hesitate?

Here’s where responsibility falls on all of us.

Because the registration period is short. Because there is no enrollment in September. Because this time, leaving it to the last minute could cost a child their future.

Education Is Not Just Curriculum

Ahmetoğlu’s “Support Education and Our Students” project reflects this deeper understanding of what education means. It’s not just lessons and textbooks. It’s also social life, cultural connection, and a sense of identity. These kinds of community-driven projects nourish not only our students — but the very soul of the community.

“Our goal is to bring something positive to our school, our students, and the future of our children,” says Ahmetoğlu.

Today, institutions like the Xanthi Minority Middle and High School, or the Komotini Celal Bayar Minority School, are more than schools. They are the memory of a people. The hope of a nation.

This Is a Call to Us All

So to all parents:

Don’t choose these schools just so your children learn math, physics, or history. Choose them so they can learn without forgetting who they are.

When you register your child, you’re not just signing a form. You’re also saying:

“I believe in the future of this people, this culture, and this identity.”

And children who grow up with that belief will form the foundation of a conscious, confident Turkish community in Western Thrace.

That’s why Ozan Ahmetoğlu’s message, published in MİLLET, is not just the voice of a school board president. It’s the voice of a father, a teacher, and a person devoted to a cause:

“Come and register by June 20. Let’s offer our children an education rooted in identity.”

I stand behind this call — because this isn’t just about education.
It’s about our future.