The delegation composed of ABTTF and WTMUGA representatives demanded the establishment of bilingual minority kindergartens and asked the restoration of educational autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA), in representation of the Turkish community in Western Thrace attended the online seminar (webinar) titled ‘The evolution and practice of multilingual education- From the Hague Recommendations to the digital era’ organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 4 November 2020.
ABTTF International Relations Director Melek Kırmacı Arık and WTMUGA Secretary General Meltem Giritli along with WTMUGA member Kerem Abdurahimoğlu attended the sixth webinar of the online seminar (webinar) series titled ‘Three decades of upholding democracy and human rights’ organised with the support of OSCE Chairmanship Albania and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and in cooperation with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and OSCE Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities.
During the webinar which was moderated by Christophe Kamp from the OSCE Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia Anamarija Viček, Executive Director of Nansan Dialogue Centre Skopje Veton Zekolli and Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic Nadira Dzhusupbekova explained the multilingual education models in Serbia, North Macedonia and Kyrgyzstan. The speakers quoted examples from their countries of how the multilingual education system was maintained when they went into remote access due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within the framework of the rules of the webinar where it is possible for participants to lodge their recommendations to the OSCE on a written form, referring to The Hague Recommendations ABTTF underlined the need for national minorities to have the right to have their own educational institutions and further asked restoration of educational autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace granted by the Treaty of Lausanne and demanded establishment of bilingual minority kindergartens.
