Ahmetoğlu: "We want to talk about the success of our students, not the building problem anymore"

Ozan Ahmetoğlu made statements about the building problem and the entrance of the school. Stating that the school continues to educate successful students even under all kinds of difficult conditions, Ahmetoğlu called on the members of the Muslim Turkish Minority of Western Thrace to protect our school.

MILLET: Mr Ozan Ahmetoğlu. You were recently elected as the President of the Council of Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School. Good luck to you. We wish you success in this important task.

Can you briefly give historical information about your school; how was it founded, what is its status, what are its achievements to date, how many graduates did it produce in total, how many of them studied at university?

Ozan Ahmetoğlu: Thank you for your good wishes. Our school is 59 years old as of this year. Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School was officially established on 10 May 1965 and the first bell rang on 23 September of the same year in the building known as the Small School of today's Xanthi Central Turkish Primary School.

After 5 years, in the 1970-71 academic year, the Governorship of Xanthi responded to the request of Muzaffer Salihoğlu, the founder of the school, and the present building at Hatzistavrou 10, an old tobacco warehouse, was allocated to our school.

Until 2018, our school maintained its status as a private school, but its status was changed on 11 September 2018 with the amendment of the law prepared by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Accordingly, the status of Xanthi Minority Secondary and High School was changed and it was no longer a "private" school. Since that day, i.e. for about 6 years, Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School has been managed by the Board of Councillors in accordance with Law No. 694/1977, which also includes other minority schools.

"OUR GRADUATES CONTINUE TO UNIVERSITY"

When we look at the last 10 years, the number of students we graduated from secondary school is 878, while this figure is 912 from high school. Approximately 70 to 80 per cent of our graduates continue their studies at university. We have students who continue their higher education both in Türkiye and Greece.

MILLET: As you know, next week is the registration week. You are calling for the enrolment of parents from the Muslim Turkish minority of Western Thrace. Why should the members of the minority prefer this school?

Ozan AHMETOGLU: Yes, next week is the registration week. Enrolment for the first grade of secondary school will start. A new era begins for our children who graduated from primary schools.

REGISTRATION STARTS ON 10 JUNE

Registration will start on 10 June and continue until 20 June. However, we will celebrate Eid al-Adha during these days. Therefore, the school will be closed on some days during this period. At the same time, due to the European Parliament elections to be held on Sunday 9 June, the school will be closed on Monday 10 June, the day after the elections. This is the practice according to the law.

We, as the Board of Councillors, wrote to the Directorate of Secondary Education of Xanthi and requested an extension of the registration period, considering that the number of days for registration is limited due to the EP elections and Eid al-Adha. Unfortunately, it was not accepted. Therefore, it is useful for the parents of the students to hurry up and act quickly for the registration.

We have tried to reach out to our parents through the press, social media and meetings with the councillors. Registration will take place on 11, 12, 13, 14 and 20 June. Therefore, we kindly ask our parents to take this important issue into consideration.

MEMBERS OF MINORITIES SHOULD PREFER THIS SCHOOL

Minority members should prefer this school, the Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School. Because this school is their own school. It is our school. It is the school of our children, your children.

This school provides education in Turkish and Greek in line with the rights of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace arising from the Treaty of Lausanne and other agreements. They have the opportunity both to learn and develop our own culture and language and to receive education in the language of our country Greece, the country where we are citizens and where we live.

Minority secondary school is the continuation of minority primary schools where our children receive education for 6 years. The minority secondary school and high school is the school where the education process will continue in a similar environment and in a similar system that they are used to and familiar with.

Minority secondary school is the school where the adaptation and normal transition process from primary school to secondary school will be the most comfortable and realised. When you look at our children attending Xanthi Minority Secondary School - High School, you will easily understand what I mean. Parents should not forget the following. When children change schools, i.e. from primary school to secondary school, or from secondary school to high school, this transition and adaptation period should be smooth and harmonious. The transition from a minority primary school to a minority secondary school is the smoothest and the one that will not have a negative or even positive effect on the students. Otherwise, students may experience problems that will not be overcome for a long time. This situation may negatively affect the success and motivation of the students. It may even lead to behavioural disorders in children. Therefore, for our children, the most suitable environment for a student who graduates from a minority primary school is a minority secondary school, where success can be achieved relatively more easily. This should be taken into consideration by the parents of the students.

MILLET: Could you also give us information about the dates and documents required for registration? Are there any shortcomings in the teaching staff of our school? Do Turkish books arrive on time?

Ozan AHMETOGLU: Pre-registration for the first grade of the Secondary School of Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School will be held in our school building (at Hacistavru 10) between 10 June and 20 June. Registration will start at 8.30 in the morning and continue until 13.30.

First of all, the mother or father must come to school with their ID (taftotita) until 20 June at the latest and fill in the application form provided by the school.

There are some procedures that must be done to complete the student's registration.

The necessary information will be given to our parents in detail when they make their application.

All the necessary documents will be received by the Minority Secondary and High School in September when the school opens.

Detailed information will already be provided to parents by the school administration and teachers.

The first task for our parents is to come to the school with their ID cards and pre-register.

THE DOCUMENTS THAT PARENTS SHOULD SEND TO OUR SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1- Petition and contact addresses for the student's parents

2- Official document indicating the address

3- Two photographs

4- Student's health report

TURKISH and GREEK EDUCATION

As for books in Turkish. Yes, books are coming. Turkish books arrive from Türkiye and Greek books arrive from Athens. There has been no delay in the supply of books in both languages recently. There are 45 teachers in total in our school. There is no shortage of teachers.

MILLET: Last year there was a school boycott because of the morning-schoolboy problem. It was closed for two weeks. There was a march. Was there a positive result, or does the problem continue to be a problem? Will there be morning-schoolers this year?

Ozan Ahmetoğlu: Yes, as you said, there was a boycott at the beginning of the academic year last year. Students and parents protested against the midday education system, that is, the "shift education" system, and to end the midday education system. The action continued for two weeks. The aim was that all students in the school should continue their education as morning students and that the practice of midday education should end. It was an extremely important rights-seeking movement supported by all minority organisations and almost the entire community.

BUILDING PROBLEM PERSISTS

As you know, we were the only school in our region that was condemned to shift education. This situation should have been solved many years ago when there was no solution to the building problem in our school. Since this problem persisted, we were condemned to the morning - afternoon practice, which caused a serious inconvenience to our students, parents and teaching staff. Many students did not prefer our school for this reason. We had to look for different solutions. Failure to solve the school building problem prevents our children from equality in education.

At the beginning of the last academic year, the school administration and the councillor committee, taking into account the decrease in the number of students in the school, had announced that the students would fit in the classrooms and that the education would start without the afternoon school. However, when the Directorate of Secondary Education of Xanthi insisted on the midday programme, the students and parents organised a boycott. The struggle for rights started. And as a result of this determined struggle, all students switched to morning education. The shift education practice was terminated. In this process, the Directorate of Secondary Education did not allow the use of the classrooms in the basement, which had been used until now, if all students switched to morning education. While there are 25 classrooms in our school, since the Directorate of Secondary Education of Xanthi did not allow the use of 5 classrooms in the basement, 20 classrooms can be used at the moment.

Since we took office in January, we have been making continuous attempts to solve the building problem in our school and we continue to do so. Our demand for a new school building is already valid and remains as the main demand. Our main demand is for a new, modern school building with a gymnasium, labs, computer room, auxiliary spaces and storage. Until our school moves to the new building, we want and demand that the classrooms in the basement of our school be allowed to be used, or that public buildings very close to our school be allocated to provide us with additional classrooms, or that prefabricated classrooms be built in the annex building of the school. We have conveyed these demands to the authorised institutions. We expect a positive response to these justified demands. We want this on behalf of our children. Everyone should know that they also have the right to equality in education and should act accordingly.

570 STUDENTS ARE STUDYING

It may be recalled that when the number of students in the school exceeded 700, the practice of morning and afternoon classes was reintroduced. In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of students. Last year, we were asked to stop the afternoon practice because our students fit in the classrooms. Currently, the number of students is 570. 101 students are expected to graduate this year. Of course, there will be new enrolments. Under the current conditions, there is no need for the midday programme. In order for our children to receive education under better conditions and to benefit from the right to equality in education, we want them to attend classes in the morning as in all schools. We did not want and do not want noon classes. We have asked and continue to ask for solutions to be found for this. For at least ten years, we have been calling for a solution to the building problem at Xanthi Minority Secondary School High School. It is a great injustice, shame and deficiency that our children are victimised and condemned to afternoon education. Above all, it is against equality in education. Of course, we do not want to face the same situation again. As long as our calls are heeded and a solution is found in good faith.

MILLET: As everyone knows, our school has a serious building problem. It is a problem that has been voiced at every opportunity. An open letter was even sent to Prime Minister Mitsotakis. Is there any progress on this issue? Is there at least an answer?

Ozan AHMETOĞLU: As I said, from the moment we took office in January, this issue has been the issue we have been most interested in. Our fellow members of the Council of Councillors, who served before us, emphasised this issue a lot. Correspondence with institutions, explanations, letters. There is a huge archive on this issue. However, unfortunately, the necessary sensitivity has not been shown by the authorised institutions until today. This problem has not been looked at in a solution-orientated manner.

Recently, we brought the issue to the attention of Prime Minister Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis. We wrote him a letter explaining the building problem of our school. We received a reply that the letter was received and forwarded to the necessary authorities.

We will follow the process closely. We hope that the Prime Minister will take this problem seriously and take steps to solve the problem. We expect this on behalf of our children. Our children deserve this very much.

MILLET: After your election to the Presidency of the Council, you made a series of official visits. One of them was the State President Topsidis. If you remember, Topsidis visited the school during the boycott (before the elections) and promised in the presence of thousands of people that he would solve the building problem of the school if elected. Did you remind him about this and what was the answer you received?

Ozan AHMETOGLU: One of the first meetings we had was with the new State President Christodoulos Topsidis. During the boycott, Mr Topsidis had visited our school with his friends and met with the parents of the students. He had even made a speech and promised to find a solution to the problem at the school. He even made a commitment to find a solution by the end of the academic year.

Shortly after he took office in the elections of the councillor committee, we visited and met with him in his office. We conveyed our demands verbally and in writing. We told him that we were ready to talk, negotiate and do whatever it takes to solve the problem. We reminded him of his promises. After that meeting, we spoke on the phone several times. We also saw him in a few places. He said that he had taken some steps and made some initiatives. We also had some demands from him.

WE ARE FOLLOWING UP ON TOPSIDIS' PROMISE

Of course, we are followers of the promises made and we expect the promises made to our students and parents to be fulfilled. We are now in the last days of the academic year and we expect and demand some concrete steps to be taken before the new academic year starts. We also visited Mr İrfan Hacıgene, one of Mr Topsidis' close colleagues and Vice President of the State, in his office. We conveyed our demands and expectations to him. As I said, we want the promises to be fulfilled. At least until a final solution is found with the new school building, we want temporary solutions to be implemented that will relieve our students, education staff and parents.

MILLET: Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Staikouras, who visited our region last week, announced that the province of Xanthi is financing projects worth approximately 16 million euros. One of the projects he announced is the support of the Madrasah with 500 thousand euros. What would you like to say about this?

Ozan Ahmetoğlu: Yes, we had the opportunity to read the visit and the projects announced. I would like to emphasise that the number one problem waiting for a solution in the field of education in Xanthi is the issue of Xanthi Minority Secondary School - High School. This problem is the most important and prioritised problem of Xanthi in the field of education. If a solution is to be provided in order of priority, it should undoubtedly start with our school. While the problem of 570 students remains as it is, how can they explain the realisation of a big budget project for the Madrasah of Xanthi, which has around 40 students?

The madrasah was first taken from Shahin and then moved to Xanthi. A new building was found. A lot of expenses were made. Now it is being moved to another place. On the other hand, a building is found for the Music School of Xanthi. Work for the new building is starting, the project is being announced.

But why is nothing done when it comes to us, when it comes to our children? Don't our children deserve to be educated in better conditions? Is it bad to say this, to ask for this? Is it a crime to ask for a school, to ask for a solution to the problem that has been going on for years? Unfortunately, it is obvious that we are being discriminated against and treated unfairly. This mistake should be abandoned as soon as possible.

MILLET: There will be a graduation ceremony in the coming days. How many graduates do you have? Could you give some information about the ceremony? Finally, what will be your last message to those who are responsible for solving the building problem and to the parents (payments)?

Ozan AHMETOGLU: Yes, the school year is coming to an end in the coming days. The school will close before Eid al-Adha. This year we expect 101 children to graduate from Xanthi Minority Secondary School - High School.

On Friday 14 June, the graduation ceremony will be held.

With the graduation ceremony, the Parent-Teacher Association and students are working hard and preparing intensively.

I congratulate our children who will graduate, I congratulate their families, I wish success to the students who will continue their university education. A very important period of their lives is coming to an end. At the same time, another very important period begins. Despite all the impossibilities and problems, they should know that they are lucky to have the opportunity to receive education from Xanthi Minority Secondary School and High School.

We, as parents, as the Board of Councillors, as the PTA, want the building problem of our school to be solved. this struggle is not only a struggle and issue of the Board of Councillors or the PTA. It is a matter of all the students, parents, education staff and ultimately the whole Xanthi. It is a community issue. For this reason, we ask for and expect the support and solidarity of the families and the community when necessary.

We also ask parents to fulfil their responsibilities towards the school. On this occasion, I would like to address the authorities once again. We ask only one thing from all the authorities who are responsible for solving the problem we are experiencing.

Let them look at this as a human being. They should look at it as a parent of a child. They should even put themselves in the shoes of the children in this school. There is a problem in the middle. They should not turn a blind eye or close their ears to this reality. Then they will understand what we mean. They will see that our children have been deprived of their right to equality in education for years. It is better to cut our losses. These children are the children of this region, this city and this country. Minority people and minority schools should not be looked at as something "foreign". Minority education, minority schools and minority students should not be treated as something "dangerous". This is what we want as a society. We think that we have explained this as we should.

WE NO LONGER WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE BUILDING PROBLEM, BUT ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS

Teachers in our school work under difficult conditions. Despite this, they try to give the best to the students. And they are largely successful in this. We would like to thank our education staff who work devotedly for this. We no longer want to talk about the building problem of Xanthi Minority Secondary School - High School, but about the achievements of our students. We want to talk about the success of our children in sports, literature, painting, art and music. We want to share their dreams and aspirations for the future. Those who have experienced this injustice have lived until today. Please take a step for the future. Do not see this as too much for our children.