Registration dispute at İskeçe minority primary school
A dispute has emerged at the İskeçe Central Turkish Minority Primary School after some first-grade student registrations for the 2026-2027 academic year were reportedly canceled, causing concern among members of the Western Thrace Turkish community.
According to reports, registrations completed in March were canceled by the İskeçe Primary Education Directorate at the end of June, more than three months after the process had been completed. Some parents were reportedly informed by phone that their children’s enrollments were considered invalid.
Parents question reasons for cancellations
Parents said they were told that the cancellations were linked to criteria including whether one of the child’s parents held Greek citizenship and whether the declared home address fell within the school’s registration area.
The decision has drawn criticism from parents, who said many students with similar family backgrounds had previously attended and graduated from Turkish minority schools in Western Thrace.
No official statement has been issued by the authorities regarding the issue, increasing concerns among families.
Issue raised in parliament
İskeçe MP Huseyin Zeybek recently submitted a parliamentary question to the Education Ministry, arguing that the reported practice lacked a legal basis.
Parents have also raised concerns that reducing the number of registered students could affect the opening of two first-grade classes, as the current number of registrations would reportedly be enough for two classes.
The community is awaiting clarification from authorities on the legal basis of the registration decisions and the future of the affected students.
