The new school year kicked off today, Wednesday for nearly 1,5 million students and 150,000 teachers across Greece with the traditional blessing.

It is a particularly important day is today for more than 600,000 students who will pass through the door of the elementary school for the first time.

Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameos was on the island of Leros where she attended the blessing of the new school year.

Mrs Kerameos wished a good school year to parents and their children stressing “the government is close to remote areas of Greece in support of parents, children and teachers who are working under very difficult conditions”.

The Ministry of Education said it was ready for the new school year with books already in schools and reminded that it had announced last Thursday the hiring of 20,558 substitute teachers, with 16,191 hiring for Primary Education and 4.367 for high schools.