Another blow to the educational autonomy of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace!

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu: As 240 Imams Law damages our religious autonomy from the basis now with the last draft bill submitted to the Greek Parliament, they are trying to harm the basic structure of our educational autonomy. We will not accept this.

The draft law that was prepared by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs of Greece and envisages a series of changes on the education system of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was submitted to the Greek Parliament by the Minister Andreas Loverdos. Although being a law that concerns directly the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and prepared without consulting with the Minority as in the past in any way, the draft bill is expected to be voted in the general assembly until the end of November.

Minority schools are connected directly to the state education units

According to the report published in the daily Gündem, with the so called law, Minority Education Coordinator is not a body of Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and given directly to the East Macedonia-Thrace Education Directorate and Minority Education Board is removed its territorial jurisdiction is given to the state educational establishments. According to the bill, in order to train the Turkish language teachers who will serve at minority schools will be opened Minority Education Department at the Thracian Dimokritos University in Alexandroupolis and candidates who want to enter this department before should complete four year university education. The bill also includes the creation of “Educational Consultant” team which will serve as a consultant for teachers who teach according to Turkish curriculum in minority schools, the selection of Turkish language teachers only from persons belonging to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, the Greek language teachers who will teach Greek will be assigned to state schools after their service of maximum ten years at these schools and lastly Greek teachers who have exceeded the age of 55 will not be assigned to minority schools.

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu said: “Our country Greece, which is one of the oldest members of the European Union and claims to be the cradle of democracy for some reason, avoids entering into direct dialogue with the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace persistently and continues to ignore us. Our state and government make decisions affecting the Western Thrace Turks and makes them not with us but excluding. The MPs we have elected to the Greek Parliament are not addressed in case of preparation of any law or circular letter concerning the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. As 240 Imams Law damaged our religious autonomy from the basis now with the last bill submitted to the Greek Parliament, they are trying to harm the basic structure of our educational autonomy. We will not accept this. I wonder when our country will be fair and tolerant to our minority. When we will talk about the essence of real democracy in Greece? This country belongs to every Greek citizen either his name is Kostas or Ali. Unfortunately, our state does not have this perspective.”