Turks of Western Thrace: Greece mulls to close several Turkish minority schools

Greece is mulling to close four Turkish minority primary schools in a move which is touted as a way to curb the right to education for Turks in the country. According to TRT World, the government are planning to shut down the schools located in Western Thrace, where Turks are densely populated.

The affected schools are the Hacioren, Keziren and Payamlar primary schools in Rhodope and the Karakoy primary school in Xanthi (Iskece), all of which are located in northern Greece. Authorities are justifying the move by claiming that they are suspending the operation of these schools due to “lack of students”.

However, the Turkish minority in the region are looking at it as the government’s ploy to send their children to Greek public schools. Local leaders and representatives of the Turkish minority have criticised the government’s action claiming that it is their systematic plan to reduce the presence of minority schools without consulting the affected communities.

Not the first time

The closures are part of a broader trend to reduce the number of minority schools, which would drop from 307 in 1926 to 86 if the recent decision comes into action.

Last year, the Eastern Macedonian State of Thrace’s Regional Directorate of First and Second-Grade Schools, announced the closure of even Turkish schools in the Rodop (Rhodopi) prefecture and two others in the Iskece (Xanthi).

In 2022, Turkey condemned the closure of four schools by Greek authorities, saying they violated the Lausanne Peace Treaty, which was signed in 1923 and settled rules regarding the Turkish-Muslim minority in Greece.

The Turks in Western Thrace 

Greece is home to around 150,000 ethnic Turks whose status was defined by the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty. Not only this but their rights were safeguarded through various bilateral and multilateral agreements between the two countries and with the help of other European nations.

In the past, Turkey has accused Greece of violating the right to education. It is pertinent to note that Articles 40 and 41 of the Treaty of Lausanne grant the minority the right to education in their native language and autonomy in managing educational institutions. However, with these closures many claim that Greece is not fulfilling its obligations to the treaty.

Last year, a report by Human Rights Watch stated that the execution of the Treaty of Lausanne by the Greek administration has been irregular. This has eventually led to “a poorly organised” and neglected educational system for the Turkish minority.

The closure of schools is not the only issue faced by the Turkish minority in Greece when it comes to seeking education. Some other issues include a mixed administrative system, poorly qualified teachers, lack of bilingual kindergartens, closing down and merging elementary schools, limited secondary schools, outdated and insufficient learning materials, and the lack of a curriculum for teaching Greek as a second language.

There has been a steady increase in the systematic closure of Turkish minority primary schools in Greece since 2011 and every time the Greek administration claimed that it is because of the “absence of students”.