As a total of 16 million students, including primary and high school students, attended Turkey’s public and private schools in what was the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year last week, crowded classrooms were a problem in many of the big city schools, but not at all for the schools of the Greek community, whose population is close to the point of extinction.
One such school is Zapyon Greek Primary and High School of İstanbul. A long time ago when it was established in 1875, it was a lively school with 1,500 students; now, it only has 110 students. It remains the only Greek school in Turkey comprising a kindergarten, primary and high school. There are only eight students in the first grade this year.
“In the next school year, we expect only about three students in the first grade. After that, probably none; if it goes on like this, we will have no graduates in around 10 years,” said Nikos Kefalas, the representative of the founder of Zapyon.
He noted that Kadıköy Greek Primary School was not opened this school year as it only had one student.
(source: sundays zaman)
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