Widespread concern over department mergers

The educational federations have raised serious concerns about the government’s decision to merge or abolish hundreds of school departments in both primary and secondary education. According to the federations, these changes violate existing legislation and fail to account for students who are yet to complete their September exams. The unions warn that the mergers will significantly impact students’ educational rights and undermine teachers’ working conditions.

The federations report that some General High Schools (GEL) and Vocational High Schools (EPAL) are seeing entire sectors and specialities abolished, even though they have sufficient student numbers. Additionally, teachers are allegedly being given verbal instructions to transfer students to other schools, a move the unions describe as “anti-pedagogical.”

Erosion of public education

The unions argue that these department mergers are part of a broader strategy to erode public education in Greece. They highlight ongoing issues such as inadequate and unsafe school infrastructure, reports of teachers forced to sleep in cars and tents due to lack of accommodation, low starting salaries of €776 per month for newly appointed teachers, increasing bureaucracy, and widespread teacher burnout. The unions contend that these challenges are further disintegrating the public school system to the detriment of students.

Planned actions

Following a meeting held on August 29, 2024, the federations, together with the Confederation of Parents, agreed on the following actions:

  • A protest gathering at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, September 4, at 2:00 p.m., demanding the reversal of the department mergers and a meeting with the Ministry’s political leadership.
  • A joint press conference with the federations involved in the protest, along with the Federation of Private School Teachers (OIELE), immediately after the start of the school year.
  • Support for local initiatives and mobilisations by teacher associations and parents’ associations on this issue.

The federations are calling on all teachers in the Athens metropolitan area to join the protest at the Ministry of Education. They are also urging those outside Attica to collaborate with local parents’ associations to organise similar demonstrations at regional educational directorates across the country, along with press conferences or other actions to raise awareness.

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