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- Ελληνικά
The Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Mrs Athina Michailidou, participated today in an extraordinary session of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture, during which she briefed the Committee on issues relating to the start of the new school year: "I participated today in the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture, which was aimed at discussing the start of the new school year. I take this opportunity to wish all our teachers, students and pupils a happy and peaceful school year, so that they can create better this year and perform as well as possible.
Let me say that the goal of this year is the modernization of the public school, the transition step by step to the student-centered education system that we all strive for, in which our students will be able to create, to cultivate their abilities and skills in order to be active citizens in society.
Considerable preparatory work has already been done in all areas related to the start of the school year, such as the supply and distribution of books, building issues, issues related to staffing and infrastructure in general, as well as the new programmes we are introducing this year, so that there will be no particular problems in the schools.
If and when anything unexpected or anything arises during the school year or at the start, we are ready to deal with it, always for the benefit of our children.
I want to thank all of our colleagues, not only the members of the House Education Committee, but also the education organizations, the organized parents, my colleagues within the ministry, who have done their utmost to enable us to be able to announce today a start of the school year with good omens,. Dialogue and communication with everyone is among our priorities in order to implement the Governance Programme to the maximum extent possible, with the greatest possible consensus."
Ms Michaelidou then answered questions from journalists.
In response to a question on issues raised by the President of OELMEK regarding the teachers who are contract teachers, the seconded School Directors who are in the Ministry and the problems concerning the learning of the Greek language by students, Ms. Michaelidou said: "We have seen these chronic problems in good time and I have already replied that especially on the issue of Greek language proficiency from this year onwards, an assessment of children with an immigrant biography in particular, at Greek language proficiency levels, will be fully implemented in all classes, at all ages, from primary school to high school.
So it is very important that by completing a Greek language learning programme they will be able to sit the examination and receive the relevant certificate.
The issue of staffing is also of concern to us, we are positive, I have already stated this. We are consulting with our partners to significantly reduce the number of contract teachers and increase the number of permanent positions. This makes it immensely easier for us and raises the quality of our education system.
Regarding secondments to the Ministry, it is a very important issue for us, and it is a limited number this year, and it is decreasing year by year. You realize that it is very difficult to adjust the issue from one year to the next, but the decision made is this, not to have principals in secondment positions, and as a result, schools are deprived of these people. We want them in the schools so that the work of the management team can be done better. So since this year we have already worked systematically so that we do not have the numbers that we had before."
Commenting on the events in Chloraka and whether measures have been taken to ensure that there is no impact of the events within the schools now that the school year is starting, the Minister of Education noted: "In general, we have taken steps to ensure that with the start of the school year, incidents of violence and delinquency are reduced. We have our Services on alert, who are visiting schools now, even before students go to schools to develop action plans, especially for the protection of a good climate in schools, so that we can implement our programmes and children can benefit from them to the maximum."
In response to a question regarding the Ministry's plans for the installation of air conditioners in classrooms, Michailidou said: "Let us say that what has been said is that we understand the problem. For decades it has unfortunately not been resolved and we are very positive to discuss criteria. The criteria are only related to the safety of the students, the safety of the buildings, the safety of the network in our schools, so that from this year through savings we can install the first air conditioners, without this meaning that we abandon the other studies, the research on thermal comfort in classrooms. Let me stress again that our schools have air conditioning in all rooms other than classrooms. So it is very important to say that we are starting with the classrooms, and also all our new buildings provide for the installation and have air conditioners installed."
In response to a reporter's comment that this is the first time a Minister has acknowledged the need to install air conditioners in classrooms, the Minister of Education noted: "It is a key priority in the Governance Programme to respect this need of students and teachers for better classroom conditions. Of course, there is an assumption because, due to climate change, the situation is often unbearable, not only in classrooms but also in our workplace more broadly, so we have to find ways to improve the situation and we are already making many efforts this year so that before the end of 2023 we will have the first installation."
Asked about Special Education and the dialogue that has been announced on the issue, Michailidou said: "Here we are very realistic and clear, special education is a huge issue. We have had legislation since 1999, which needs improvement, needs revision. We need to look very seriously at all the stages that a special education child goes through in our system, from the time he/she is diagnosed to the time he/she enters a classroom, an education scheme, the content of his/her education itself, the evaluation of the student, the accompanying teachers. So all these issues are intertwined, we see them globally, we announce a dialogue in the presence of the President of the Republic himself, because of the sensitivity and seriousness of this issue and, by the end of May, we will have at our disposal very specific proposals, multi-level, to improve this issue."
In response to a question whether the needs for school assistants/chaperones have been met, Ms. Michaelidou said: "In terms of chaperones we have seen our needs well in advance and we have already anticipated that we will need increased numbers so we are at that point now. We have met almost all the requests, but more are coming in all the time. At this time we are also looking at the latest requests that are coming in so that they can be met to the best extent possible. It is a very sensitive issue. We would like the escorts themselves to receive training and to have their working conditions upgraded, but all this will be the subject of discussion in the dialogue that we have announced."
IP
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