New education law further destroys the educational autonomy of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu: “The claim of our homeland Greece that the new education law has been adopted in November 2014 after prior consultation with the minority does not comport with reality. Quite the contrary, the real aim is to enhance through this law the state authority and control over the minority education”

The Association of Thessaloniki Special Pedagogical Academy (TSPA) Graduates Minority Schools Teachers of Xanthi criticized in its press release the claim of the Greek government the Law 4310/2014 on the education of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace has been adopted by the Greek Parliament in November 2014 after prior consultation with the minority teachers’ associations, as stated in Greece’s written reply to the Parallel Report submitted by the Spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor Panayote Dimitras to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on the minority education in Western Thrace. According to the daily Gündem, the Xanthi Minority Schools Teachers’ Association does in no manner accept the said claim mentioned in the letter addressed to the association’s chairman Nurettin Kıyıcı and underlines the Greek government did consult neither during the preparation process of the law nor after its adoption and implementation with the establishments, in particular with the teachers’ associations of the Turkish minority.

“The adoption of the new education law 4310/2014 by the Greek Parliament on 27 November 2014 endorses once more our homeland Greece insists to ignore the Turkish minority of Western Thrace living within its borders. This law, which was nowise consulted with the minority during its preparation and implementation process, represents another hit against the educational autonomy of our minority. During its adoption in the Greek Parliament, all the three MPs belonging to the Turkish minority voted against it, as it paves the way for the state authority and control over the minority education. The solution for the problems faced in the minority education system can only be attained when Greece puts an end to her delusive claims and immediately constitutes an official dialogue mechanism with our minority. As the Turkish minority of Western Thrace, we urge and expect of the Greek government to take this step” said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).