Minority demands a new education policy

The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace does have a host of problems in the field of education. The President of Western Thrace Minority Education and Culture Company(BAKEŞ) Galip Galip declared that initiatives in the field of education were constantly hindered. Answering the questions of minority newspaper Gündem, Galip told that a new education policy is essentially needed to be established.

The demand of establishment of a Minority secondary school in Domruköy has been rejected

Galip Galip told that they applied to the Sirkeli municipality for appropriation of land for a Minority secondary school in the region of Sirkeli, and that the application was rejected by the Eastern Macedonia- Thrace Regional General Secretary on the grounds that there was no reference that there was a school necessity in the region and that BAKES was a non-profit company, despite the approval of local council. After necessary corrections were made in the application, Galip stated that they were re-applied. However, the application was rejected once again on the ground that there was no decision approved by the local council of Domruköy. However, Galip Galip reminds that the pasture in Tuzcuköy was given over to Panathrakikos team as training ground despite the objection by the local council. Therefore, Galip evaluates the recent decision a somewhat prevention of the establishment of the school.

The foundation of a day care center in Xanthi is being prevented

Concerning the problem of pre-school education which has become a contracted issue since the Minority’s demand of bilingual kindergartens is being rejected by the Greek authority, Galip Galip stated that BAKEŞ demanded four different places from the Xanthi Community Authority for the day care center after the day care center under the Western Thrace Minority Graduates Association were closed down. However, Galip told that their demand was rejected.

Minority educational system should be reconstructed

Education with cronical problems is one of the most difficult problem in Western Thrace due to the long-established Greek state and government policy. The Minority educational system with no dialogue with the Minority which lacks necessary reforms for a modern education should be reconstructed. Galip stated that promises given to the Minority were not fulfilled and added that pedagouges and representatives of the Minority should develop a new educational strategy.

The President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe Halit Habipoğlu expressed his views as follows: “Education is a chronically problematic field in Western Thrace. The Minority does face with a variety of problems in the field of education. However, initiatives taken towards the solution of the problems have not been replied in the level of state and governments. The recent example to this situation is the neglect of the demand of bilingual minority kindergartens by the Greek government. The Minority educational system is very much far away from a “modern and European model“ of education, contrary what the Greek state and government do claim. The minority educational system needs to be reconstructed on the basis of tolerance and equality with an understanding of mutual respect and dialogue. As everbody knows, the child’s right to education is an unavoidable and unimpeded human right. A “modern and European“ model of minority education which is claimed to exist in Western Thrace can only be established with such understanding“.