ABTTF addressed the Western Thrace Turkish Minority’s right to education in mother tongue and the problem of bilingual kindergartens at the European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages in Strasbourg

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) presented the issue of Western Thrace Turkish Minority in right for access to education in mother tongue and the problems arising from the lack bilingual kindergartens in Western Thrace at the regular meeting of European Parliament Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages on 14 March 2013 in Strasbourg.

Attended by the ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu and ABTTF Representation Office, the vitally important problematic Western Thrace Turkish minority faces in education with the lack of bilingual kindergartens is presented by Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) Director Willy Fautré and Dr. Ali Huseyinoglu, specialist in minority rights and member of the Western Thrace Turkish minority.

HRWF Director Willy Fautré stated in order to mend the shortcomings in education Greece should integrate the bilingual minority kindergartens to the minority school system

Co-chaired by the (Member of the European Parliament) MEP François Alfonsi and Csaba Sandor Tabajdi and an attendance up to 50 persons with participation of Intergroup members and respective NGOs, the Intergroup presentation provided Mr. Fautré ground to address the minority’s education problems in Greece in comparison with the other EU member states, such as Finland, Belgium and Romania.

Fautré shared his findings from the mission to Western Thrace in October 2012 with Intergroup members and transmitted his experience of meeting the pupils and their parents in the Echinos (Şahin) village where the 20 children were the very same year refused from registration to minority primary school. Mr. Fautré described the situation on the ground as disintegration caused by lack of kindergartens or education institutions from early age that children can attend in their mother tongue. Fautre suggested that Greece should include bilingual kindergartens to minority education in order to settle this problem.

Dr. Ali Hüseyinoğlu stated that the legislation 3518/2006 on education is in contradiction with the educational autonomy of the minority as it was defined under the Lausanne Treaty

Dr. Ali Huseyinoglu, having completed his PhD in International Relations at Sussex University, has come up with a clarification on critics to the legislation 3518/2006 from the minority. Huseyinoglu explained that the respective legislation is in conflict with minority’s educational autonomy, which was granted by and guaranteed in the Lausanne Treaty. Relying on pedagogical studies, Huseyinoglu explained that it is essential for a child to learn first of all his mother tongue in order to be able to learn a second language. In the case of Greek public kindergartens, the children belonging to the Western Thrace Turkish minority come into contact for the first time with Greek language thus, do cannot communicate with Greek teachers.

Hüseyinoğlu, furthermore gave an insight Greece’s education policy towards the minority such that neither bilingual public kindergartens are established nor the private undertakings of the minority in attempt to found private bilingual kindergartens are allowed. Huseyinoglu exemplified this with the case of PEKEM (Western Thrace Minority Culture and Education Foundation) application to Greek authorities in 2011 to establish a bilingual private kindergarten and the absence of any response from the Greek authorities by now. Huseyinoglu wrapped his speech with recommendation to Greek authorities for adopting bilingual education in public schools and kindergartens. Lastly, Huseyinoglu called on the Greek authorities to give permission for the establishment of private bilingual kindergartens.

* Images: © Photo European Union