ABTTF protests closure of three more Turkish Minority Primary Schools in Western Thrace

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) has strongly criticized the Greek Ministry of Education’s decision to close three more Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace. ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu described the move as a “violation of educational autonomy.”

In a written statement, Habipoğlu noted that the closure of the schools in the villages of Mehrikoz, Kardere, and Hasanlar is contrary to the educational rights of the Turkish minority guaranteed under the Treaty of Lausanne.

He pointed out that the number of Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace, which stood at 188 in 2011, will drop to 83 following this latest decision.

Habipoğlu stated:

“By deciding to close three more of our special and autonomous primary schools, our country continues to violate the educational autonomy of our community guaranteed under the Treaty of Lausanne, depriving our children of the right to education in their mother tongue. As in previous similar cases, this decision is contrary to our educational autonomy. While our country shuts down our primary schools every year citing low student numbers, our motherland, upon the request of the Greek Orthodox minority with whom we share the same fate under the Treaty of Lausanne, allows the opening of a primary school in Gökçeada for only three students. As we have repeatedly emphasized, our educational autonomy, guaranteed by treaties, is being completely dismantled by the state. The closures of our primary schools on the pretext of low student numbers, together with unilateral laws and arbitrary practices over the years, all serve this purpose. We call on our country to immediately stop closing our primary schools, which belong entirely to our community, and to respect our educational autonomy and our right to education.”