The Federation of Western of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) submitted a written statement on the problem of the Special Teacher Training Academy of Thessalonica (EPATH) to the 15th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) from 13 September to 1 October. In the written statement, ABTTF gives account of some points stated in the concluding observations on the report of Greece at the end of the 75th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination Racial Discrimination (CERD), which were also addressed to in the annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and brings up specifically the right to high-quality education and the issue of EPATH.
ABTTF clarifies in its written statement the statements on the Turkish minority of Western Thrace in CERD’s concluding observations on the report of Greece. ABTTF indicates that although the so-called other segments within the minority are recognized and even welcomed and supported by the Greek authorities, the Turks are not allowed to use their right to self-identification while the existence in a country of ethnic minorities is defined on the basis of collective rights. Furthermore, ABTTF reminds with regard to the same issue that the right to association of the Turkish minority turns into another problem, and despite the unanimous judgments against Greece by the European Court of Human Rights, the associations having the word “Turkish” or even “minority” have not been registered by the Greek authorities.
The issue of EPATH
ABTTF notes in its written statement that in its concluding observations on the report of Greece, the CERD refers to the obstacles encountered by Turkish speaking persons, particularly in their access to employment, housing, health care and education, and underlines the problem of high-quality education of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace and the recently most discussed issue of EPATH. ABTTF states that the EPATH, which was founded in 1968 by the Junta regime in stark violation of the rights of the Minority guaranteed by the treaties, stills exists today in its current form despite all the objections. ABTTF notes that mostly the teachers graduated from the EPATH, who are not qualified to have skills to teach in Greek and Turkish languages, work in the minority schools, and this strategy of low-quality education violates the human rights of and is harmful to the interests of the Turkish minority. Moreover, ABTTF states that the Turkish minority demands that the EPATH is replaced by a department of four-year higher education which gives high quality education. Furthermore, ABTTF notes that with regard to the issue, a panel meeting entitled “EPATH: Past, Present and Future” was held on 26 June 2010, and Ms. Thalia Dragonas, the Special Secretary for Educational Planning and Intercultural Education at the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs, sent a letter on 30 July 2010to the EPATH that there was going to be no entrance examination to the EPATH in the 2010-2011 education year. However, the uncertainty still remains about the future of the EPATH, and ABTTF underlines that the Turkish minority should have a right to participate directly in the decision-making process of the issues affecting itself and its children’s future.
The full text of the written statement can be retrieved here.
Please click here to read the full text of the written statement.
