Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association Egnatias 75, 69100 Komotini-Greece Tel/Fax: +302531029705 E-mail: btaytd@otenet.gr URL: w w w .btaytd.com Human Rights Council Forum on Minority Issues Fourth Session Geneva, 29-30 November 2011 Contact Person: Pervin Hayrullah (Chairoula) chairoulapahoo.corn Minority women and girls and the right to education The Right to Education of Turkish Minority Women in Western Thrace — GREECE Madam Chairperson, Distinguished delegates, And civil society representatives, The article 10 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Woman states equal rights with men in the field of education. Adiele 10 States Parties shall tak e all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education and in particular to ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women: Besides the mentioned Convention, many human and minority rights instruments and Peace Treaty of Lausanne state that, members of the minority have the right to establish, manage and control their own schools and to use their own language freely. But, because of the Governments' interference the autonomous structure of Turkish Minority education has been changed radically. So, the present form of the educational system of Turkish Minority cannot serve fundamental educational needs. That is why the drop-out rates, especially for the female students in Western Thrace is among the highest level in Greece. The Greek state since 1923 has put in force more than 70 new laws, decrees and governmental decisions regarding the minority education. While these new regulations are more in favor for the improvement of the state language instruction (Greek), they undermine the educational autonomy and increase the weakness of the instruction of the Turkish curriculum. According to the Law No. 3518/2006 pre-school education in Greece has become compulsory since 2007. The new law is not in line with the international and bilateral agreements concerning the minority education system in a way that all pupils with different linguistic, religious and cultural background across the country as well as the members of the Turkish Minority of Western. Thrace are obliged to follow the compulsory pre-school education which is only in Greek language. The new law on pre-school education does not stipulate any special measures for minorities. 1