The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) submitted a written statement titled ‘‘Obstacles to Access to Quality Education for Children Belonging to the Turkish Community in Thrace in Greece’’ to the 58th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland on 24 February-4 April 2025.
In its written statement, ABTTF pointed out that according to the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece has the right to establish, manage and control all kinds of charitable, religious and social institutions and all kinds of schools and other institutions for education and training purposes at its own expense and noted that this autonomous structure in education has been taken under the control of the state through fait accompli legal practices without consulting the Turkish community.
ABTTF indicated that there are two Turkish minority secondary schools and high schools in Western Thrace, one in Komotini and the other in Xanthi, but the management of these schools is in the hands of the state in violation of international and bilateral treaties and legislation, Moreover, ABTTF noted that with its decision dated 2 September 2024, the Regional Directorate of Education of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace changed the practice that has continued until today and appointed two new principals to the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary and High School and the Komotini Celal Bayar Turkish Minority Secondary and High School without considering the opinion of the board members elected by the votes of the parents of the students belonging to the Turkish community.
ABTTF stated that the current building of the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary and High School, which was built in the late 19th century, lacks the facilities to provide quality and modern education and that the Turkish community in Western Thrace has been demanding for years for the construction of a new school building where teaching will be provided at European Union (EU) standards and there will be no need for the double-shift schooling system, but that this demand has been ignored by the Greek authorities.
Reminding that in 2017, the then Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary and High School and promised that a new school building would be built but this promise has not been fulfilled until today, ABTTF explained that the school building issue has not been resolved till this day despite the fact that the School Council Committee and the Parent-Teachers’ Association sent letters to the relevant official authorities.
ABTTF underlined that the right to education and the principle of equality and non-discrimination also includes equal access to quality education for members of minority groups and called on Greece to restore the educational autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace guaranteed by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and to fulfil the Turkish community’s demand for the allocation of a new school building, taking into account the right of Turkish students studying at the Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary and High School to have full access to quality and modern education.
Please click below for the written statement submitted by ABTTF:
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g25/029/78/pdf/g2502978.pdf