Thrace is a region to the south part of Balkan Peninsula. Τhe western part of Thrace belongs to Greece, while the eastern belongs to Turkey. Greek Thrace’s population reached 371,208 people (2011 census). More than two-thirds of Thrace’s inhabitants are Orthodox Christian, while the remainder (approx. 120,000) are Muslims. Thrace’s Muslims ancestors excluded from the exchange of Christians’ and Muslims’ population, that took place in the begging of the 20^th century between Greek and Turkish states. Muslims of Western Thrace constitutes the only recognized minority in Greece.

Our research focused on a very sensitive issue: Thrace Muslim pupil’s education. It is an issue which appears often on the agenda of Greece and Turkey bilateral relations. As this part of Greece’s population enjoy minority status, Thrace Muslim’s educational rights are determined by a number of international treaties, as well as bilateral agreements (between Greece and Turkey). Pupils of Muslim origin can enroll either in the common Greek Schools or in the Minority Primary and Secondary ones.

Our research emphasized to Minority Schools and especially those teachers that come from Muslim community. More analytically, Minority Schools’ curriculum is separated in two parts: The Greek speaking and the Turkish speaking. Those languages are not taught only as linguistic courses, but are also used for the teaching of the rest of the courses. Two parallel and independent programs are developed, from which a department deals with cognitive objects and offers knowledge only in Turkish and the other deals with other cognitive objects and offers knowledge only in Greek. In the present educational system, school bilingualism beyond the language, is also repeated in the level of educational personnel. The teachers are separated in two categories: Turkish-speaking and Greek-speaking.

As we already mentioned, our proposed paper’s aim is to present teachers’ of Muslim origins approaches and believes concerns the education of Muslim children. More specifically, our main research question concerned Muslim teachers’ perceptions about the functionality and efficiency of minority schools. Secondary, we tried to address their views concerns a number of educational issues: their own professional education; the legal framework that determines the education of minority; the achievements of Muslim students and the factors contribute to the results; the attitude of the society towards the minority population and the expected changes in the operation of minority schools. 

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