The number of Muslim children entering secondary education in Thessaloniki has grown fourfold, ten years after a groundbreaking program was introduced to produce modern materials for speakers of other languages whose cultural identity was once deemed incompatible with mainstream teaching methods.
Among the program’s successes has been the introduction of bilingual textbooks, schoolbooks, digital and printed items available for primarily young Muslim pupils who started school with little to know knowledge of Greek.
The holistic education program, which received over 80 percent of its funding from the EU, also included the setting up of libraries and tutoring sessions for primary and junior high pupils, and language lessons for adults and parents as well as cultural and creative activities.
