Greek deputy education minister links Turkish-language education to ‘compulsory homogenization’
Greek Deputy Minister of Education Nikos Papaioannou has described the role of the Turkish language in the minority education system in Western Thrace as part of what he called the “compulsory homogenization” of the minority, drawing a strong response from the European Federation of Western Thrace Turks (ABTTF).
Papaioannou made the remarks in the Greek Parliament while responding to a parliamentary question by NIKI MP Georgios Rountas concerning what he described as unequal treatment of public primary schools in Thrace and the existence of two different education systems.
Papaioannou discusses minority education framework
According to the response cited by ABTTF, Papaioannou said the minority education system in Western Thrace is based on the Treaty of Lausanne and that minority schools have a different legal status from state schools.
He also referred to the education arrangements for the Muslim minority in Western Thrace and the Greek Orthodox community in Istanbul, arguing that the terminology used in the Treaty of Lausanne should be maintained when referring to the respective minorities.
In describing the characteristics of the existing minority education system, Papaioannou said it includes the “dominance of the Turkish language for the purpose of compulsory homogenization of the minority.” ABTTF published the statement on September 22 and attributed the wording to the deputy minister’s parliamentary response.
Papaioannou also linked the structure of the minority education system to the 1968 Greece-Türkiye Educational Protocol, noting that it was signed under the military junta in Greece, according to the account.
The deputy minister further argued that Thrace has two education structures with different characteristics, needs, institutional purposes and legal statuses, and said that treating different situations identically does not necessarily constitute equality.
Eight more minority schools suspended
The remarks come amid continued changes to minority primary education in Western Thrace.
Eight additional Turkish minority primary schools had their operations suspended for the 2026-2027 academic year after their enrolment fell below nine students, according to ABTTF. The number of Turkish minority primary schools in Western Thrace consequently fell to 76.
Papaioannou reportedly stated that 83 minority schools operated during the 2025-2026 academic year, serving 2,975 students. He also said that 71% of minority primary schools had two teachers, compared with 4% of public schools.
He argued that temporarily suspending a minority school because of low enrolment does not amount to permanently closing it, since schools can resume operations if student numbers increase.
ABTTF: ‘Turkish is our mother tongue’
ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu criticised Papaioannou’s remarks, saying that recognising the distinct legal status of minority schools while simultaneously describing Turkish-language education in terms of “compulsory homogenization” was contradictory.
Habipoğlu said Turkish is “our mother tongue” and an integral part of the identity and educational autonomy of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace. He called on Greece to end policies that, in ABTTF’s view, undermine the minority’s educational autonomy and to fulfil its obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne.
ABTTF has separately raised concerns over the continued suspension of minority schools, describing the issue as part of what it considers a broader erosion of educational autonomy.
The dispute highlights an ongoing disagreement over how the Treaty of Lausanne, minority education and the role of Turkish-language instruction should be interpreted and implemented in Western Thrace.
