Legislation

Article 1

1. The education of the Muslim Minority in W. Thrace is governed by:

a) the provisions of the Treaty on Peace ratified by Article 1 of the Legislative Decree dated 25 August in Lausanne,

b) Law 309/1976, "on the organization and administration of the General Education" [nowadays Law 1566/85 "on the organization of the General Education"] and

c) this law is subject to the principle of judicial reciprocity applied in any case.

2.The terms "minority", "minority school" and "minority population" mentioned herein refer exclusively to the Muslim minority in W. Thrace.

Article 2

The aim of the minority school is to ensure the physical, intellectual and moral development and progress of the students according to the basic purposes of the general education in Greece and the determined principles of the curriculum of the respective public schools of the Country.

Article 3

The minority schools are subject to the inspection and supervision of the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs.

Article 4

The establishment, operation, inspection and supervision of the minority schools of primary education are conditioned accordingly by the provisions in force on the Private General Education, subject to the provisions of this law.

Article 5

1.a) for the establishment of minority schools an application form shall be submitted to the local Inspector of minority schools signed by the parents or guardians who enjoy the civic and civil rights of the Greek citizen and resident of the town, large village, village, settlement or quarter of the local district for which the establishment of the school is requested.

b) The number of the applicants is determined every time by the local Prefect taking into account the site, the number of residents interested in the establishment of the school and the principle of reciprocity between the two countries.

c) The Inspector forwards the application to the local Prefect following his recommendation.

2. The permit for the establishment of the minority school is granted by order of the Prefect approved by the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs. In the permit, it is specified as the founder, one of the applicant parents or guardians who should be Greek citizen. A deadline, which cannot exceed the one-month, is also set for accepting his appointment as a founder.

3. In the event that the appointed person as the founder does not accept his appointment, the Prefect choose another person from the list of the applicants and sets a deadline for accepting his appointment as specified in the above paragraph. If this person declines his appointment too, the same procedure is followed until the list is exhausted. In that case, the Prefect appoints, according to his judgment, the most suitable person for the capacity of the founder parent or guardian.

4. The capacity of the founder ceases when his capacity as a parent or guardian of a student of the school ceases. He is instantly replaced by another person chosen by the Prefect selected from the list of applicant parents or guardians for the establishment of the school. In the event that the selected person declines his appointment, the procedure described in paragraphs 2 and 3 is followed accordingly.

5. The permit is revoked when, according to the Prefect's judgment, the requirements for the operation of the school cease to exist. The permit is revoked by fully justified order of the Prefect approved by the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs.

6. The equality between the minority schools and the general education and the relevant requirements are laid down by the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs following a recommendation of the competent inspector, preserving the principle of reciprocity between the two States.

7. The minority school is represented in its relationships with the competent educational and other administrative authorities of the State or before a court, by the Greek citizen appointed as the founder of the school, as it is laid down by the decision of the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs.

Article 6

1. The minority school has its own three-member Board, appointed by the local Prefect, who selects its members from a list containing five to fifteen names of parents or guardians of this minority school. This list is formed following elections by the people who possess the right to vote and are residents of the region of the school.

2. Only the residents of the town, large village, village, settlement or quarter of the educational district, which the school serves, who are parents or guardians of the school's students have the right to vote, providing that they have not exercised this right for the election of a School Board in another school of the educational district.

3. The term of office of the School Board is four years and when it expires new elections are held and a new list is formed, as it is described in the previous paragraphs.

4. During their term of office, the members of the School Board shall preserve their capacity as parents or guardian of a student of the school of which they are members of the Board. The members of the School Board who cease to have this capacity are substituted by others selected by the Prefect from the list as it is described in the paragraph I of this article. When the list is exhausted, the Prefect appoints the most suitable parent or guardian, according to his judgment, for his contribution as a member of the School Board.

This appointment is valid only until the new election of the School Board with the completion of the period of three years.

5. The procedure of election, the duties and the competence of the School Board are laid down by the decisions of the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs.

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