Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the aspirations and political restraints of an educational program implemented in Greece. It provided the introduction of mother tongue as language of support in public kindergartens situated in compact minority settlements, through the collaboration of majority/minority teachers.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the adventures of a pilot educational program that took place in Western Thrace (Greece) from 2017 to 2019 and the huge educational and largely political controversy incited by its (partial) implementation. The core idea behind the pilot was the introduction of children's mother tongue (both Turkish and Pomak) as language of support (PLS) in public kindergartens, situated in compact minority settlements of Western Thrace. The program provided that the (ethnic Greek) kindergarten teacher and a bilingual member of the minority with a higher education degree in pre-school education would be collaborating in class. Furthermore, the program adopted an action research approach and provided for the active involvement of the parents and the local community. Drawing on material such as interviews with different stakeholders, pedagogical reports, newspaper and internet articles, public announcements made by associations, trade unions, political parties and the Church, parliamentary questions etc., I will attempt to demonstrate how the established political parameters concerning the ‘Muslim minority’ decisively determined the educational-pedagogical prospects of the pilot. The above are discussed through a self-reflective lens, given my personal involvement in the political decision making and scientific supervision of the project.