ABTTF President: “Although our population is much larger than the Greek Orthodox minority living in Gökçeada (Imbros), we do not have a single kindergarten in Western Thrace. Our country has been ignoring our bilingual kindergarten demands for years. I wonder how the Deputy Minister will explain this situation?”
Deputy Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Zetta Makri recently visited the kindergarten, primary school and secondary and high school belonging to the Greek Orthodox minority in Gökçeada (Imbros). Makri, who met with students, teachers and parents during her visit, stressed the full support of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs for the maintenance and preservation of the proper functioning of the schools on the island.
“I congratulate Zetta Makri, Deputy Minister of Education and Religious Affairs of our country. She does what needs to be done. However, I doubt that Makri shares the same feeling as regards our schools which have autonomous status in her country and that share the same fate as those of the Greek Orthodox minority in our motherland as far as their maintenance and preservation of the proper functioning is concerned. Indeed, in 2003, when we had 226 primary schools, this number is only 103 today after dozens of primary schools were closed in violation of our educational autonomy. Although our population is much larger than the Greek Orthodox minority living in Gökçeada (Imbros), we do not have a single kindergarten in Western Thrace. Our country has been ignoring our bilingual kindergarten demands for years. I wonder how the Deputy Minister will explain this situation?”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
