The minority education in Western Thrace: The role of school committees and the State’s attitude
By Ozan Ahmetoğlu, published in GÜNDEM newspaper, translated by MİLLET NEWS. Ozan Ahmetoğlu is the President of the Council of the İskeçe Minority Middle School and High School.
The sustainability and quality of minority education are profoundly influenced by the policies and attitudes of the Greek state. One of the primary reasons for the tensions in minority education is the restriction of the powers of school committees.
According to international and bilateral agreements that define the status of minority education, school committees should have a say in matters such as the appointment of teachers and the overall operation of the schools serving the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. However, over time, the Greek state has limited the powers of these committees, undermining the minority's right to govern its own schools. This situation is perceived as a direct intervention in the educational rights of the Turkish minority.
Despite having educational rights enshrined in international treaties, such as the Treaty of Lausanne, the Turkish minority in Greece faces serious problems in the implementation of these rights. The diminishing role of school committees, which represent the parents of students, increases the central control of the state over education. This scenario restricts the influence of the minority on minority education and leads to inadequate fulfillment of the cultural and linguistic needs in minority schools. Furthermore, the marginalization of school committees fosters distrust within the community and exacerbates relations between the Greek state and the Turkish minority.
Another significant aspect of this process is that the requests made by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace to the Greek state remain unanswered. The minority seeks improvements in the quality of bilingual education (Turkish-Greek), enhancements to the school infrastructure, and generally better conditions for minority education. However, these requests have been ignored for many years. As long as the Greek state fails to respond to these demands, the minority's educational issues remain unresolved.
The unfulfilled requests regarding minority education further strain the relationship between the Turkish minority in Western Thrace and the Greek state. Education is a critical issue for maintaining the identity and language of the minority. Yet, the restrictive policies and practices of the Greek state towards minority education make it increasingly difficult to preserve this identity. The Greek state does not respond to calls for reforms in minority schools and keeps the dialogue on the subject closed. This creates a severe sense of insecurity within the minority regarding education.
The Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace believes that the Greek state has been trying for years to "finish off" minority education and the minority schools. It should be emphasized that this belief has become widespread in recent years. The fact that the state, while ignoring the minority’s requests and expectations for improving the quality of minority education, adopts a highly restrictive, deterrent, and uncompromising stance towards school committees and parents striving to keep minority schools alive amid difficulties raises many questions.
Thus, our demands go unmet, and our expectations for improving the quality of minority schools are overlooked.
As if all this were not enough, parents and school committees striving to take action for minority schools also face a deterrent attitude. At this point, it is reasonable to ask: Why is this the case?
The Greek state, or the official authorities acting on behalf of the Greek state, regard the active participation of school committees—which are the most significant institution of minority schools—as almost an "attack on sovereign rights." This approach is not only erroneous but also extremely harmful and problematic.
Consequently, the failure to meet the educational demands of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, the restriction of school committees' powers in violation of agreements and customs, and the effort to limit their scope of action are seen as interference in the educational rights of the minority community. It is essential to highlight that the situation concerning school committees has significantly worsened recently.
The Greek state must develop a constructive dialogue with the minority to resolve this issue and respect the educational rights guaranteed by international agreements. The problems related to education should be addressed as a crucial issue affecting not only the minority but also the democratic structure and international reputation of Greece.
