ABTTF President: “Although the Lausanne Peace Treaty grants the right to establish, manage and control its own schools by recognising autonomous status in the field of education, Turkish primary schools belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace continue to be closed on the grounds of shortage of students and as a further example of state intervention in all areas pertaining to education’.
Twelve additional Turkish primary schools belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace will be closed in the 2021-2022 school year due to a shortage of students.
According to a statement made by the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, Turkish primary schools in Drania (Kozdere), Patermá (Payamdere), Aratos (Karacaoğlan), Hrisa (Altınköy), Ipion (Işıklar), Eşekçili (Thámna), Nevra (Sınırdere), Rizoma (Gebecili) villages and Erasmio (Taraşmanlı), in Cami Mahallesi area of Satres (Sinikova), Kremastí (Kurthasanli) and Exochi (Karagözlü) villages will be closed in the province of Rodopi. Thus, the number of Turkish primary schools will fall from 115 in the 2020-21 school year to 103 in this school year.
Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) made the following statement: “Although we have the right to establish, manage and supervise our schools autonomously in the field of education with the Lausanne Peace Treaty, the state intervenes in all areas of education. The closure of our schools under the pretext of a shortage of students is primarily contrary to Lausanne! Moreover, our government, which prides itself on its democratic rules and functioning, does not meet with the boards in our schools when it decides to close them. If it’s not contraty to democracy and ethics, what is it? Imagine that our parents that are preparing to send their children to primary schools in their villages, and suddenly they found out that the school in their village had been closed! How is this possible? We’ve been saying for years that the schools are ours and that it should be stopped to close them once and for all under the pretext of shortage of students!”
* Image: www.aa.com.tr
