The president of the Institute of Educational Policy, Spyros Doukakis, spoke about the three main challenges in the digital landscape of all educational levels at the 88th Thanksgiving International Fair of Thessaloniki. He referred to ensuring equal access to digital tools and resources, modernizing infrastructure, and promoting digital literacy.

Dukakis also spoke about the changes in the course of Computer Science and explained what the Certificate of Skills is.

Referring to the contribution of the Minister of Education, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, to the digital transition in Greece and how it is currently integrated in the field of Education, the President of the IEP spoke about the Digital Care program, which was developed in two phases and this context, students and teachers were supported with digital equipment. “It was a very important program carried out under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan with a budget of more than 150 million euros,” he said.

On the current reality, Dukakis highlighted the enrichment of the educational process with interactive learning systems, which is one of the 11 changes recently announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education.

“75-inch touchscreens with the capabilities of using a whiteboard and an integrated computer at the same time. Huge tablets some teachers said the other day. The bottom line is that 28,504 interactive systems have been installed. About 80% of the project has been completed and is expected to be completed within 2024. This is also being done under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan with a budget of over 150 million euros. And this project comes to address all three challenges,” he said.

He linked this project to two other important projects: the creation of a Textbook Registry and a Digital Library of Textbooks through the Authoring, Evaluation and Integration of Textbooks – this is the so-called “Multiple Book” project.

To implement this project, €30 million is being made available, co-financed by the European Union through the NSRF, and interactive learning systems are being fully exploited. The renewal of textbooks is complete and teachers are given the opportunity to choose from a set of books, which they will evaluate as most suitable for their students. In addition, the pupils themselves acquire additional educational material.

.
Training 35,000 teachers specialized in special education

As for the second project, its title is “Teacher Training Activities” and it is supported by the Recovery and Resilience Fund. 120,000 teachers are being trained in interactive systems and digital multi-book materials.

“In addition, this project provides for the training of 35,000 teachers specializing in special education, differentiated instruction and inclusive education to support the students who need to be supported to get the opportunities they deserve. The project has a budget of €25 million,” Dukakis said.

Summing up, the IEP President recalled that the three projects – interactive systems, multiple textbooks, and teacher training – ensure equal access to digital tools and resources, modernize infrastructure and promote digital literacy at all levels of education.

Regarding the changes in digital content and the upgrading of curricula, Mr. Doukakis first referred to the Prime Minister’s announcements on the complete transformation of the Digital School and the inclusion of the Digital Tutoring Centre as a key tool for children, families, and teachers.

Specifically on Digital Tutoring, the President of the IEP highlighted: “A live tutorial for children preparing for national exams, with rich preparation material. Thousands of interactive videos with content, the material that children are taught at school. The opportunity is given through these three projects for our children to have access to resources, modern interactive videos, and another 15000 gamified objects, quizzes, exercises, and 4000 interactive digital lessons. These are developed in such a way that they lead our children on different learning paths according to their needs, as identified through machine learning and artificial intelligence.

At the same time, this material will both enrich and differentiate teaching, providing new tools for teachers. Student engagement will be active and learning opportunities will be multiple. He added the new institution of ‘autonomous classes’, with the inaugural class in Gavdos this year. “In areas, where there was no possibility of establishing a high school, a structure was developed with three teachers covering most of the timetable while the rest will be offered remotely. As well as the innovation centers developed by ITYE-Diophantos with a well-structured framework and the upgrading of e-school and the e-parents application,” he said.

The transformation of education, in addition to the above, is also taking place in connection with other, smaller-scale NSRF projects, such as, for example, the development of accessible educational materials for children with disabilities, the bank of subjects of graded difficulty, and introductory teacher training. “These digital initiatives are not only transforming the educational landscape but are also aligned with Greece’s strategy to modernize the economy and prepare younger generations for future challenges,” he concluded.

The changes in the IT course and the Skills Certificate

On the issue of the reform of the Computer Science course, the President of the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), Spyros Doukakis, noted that the supplementary educational material for the Computer Science course in high school has been approved by the IEP Board. This material, which is part of the action “Together for Education”, has been developed under the scientific supervision of NTUA Professor Nektarios Kozyris, 19 Education Consultants, and the IEP’s IT Consultants Konstantinos Zervas and Olga Vlouhakis. As noted, all participants provided their services voluntarily.

Since the new educational material has been completed, the Education Counselors of the PE86 sector are invited to participate in the informative workshop, which is organized by the IEP tomorrow, Tuesday, September 10, between 10:00 and 12:00. The workshop will take place at the IEP, 36 Anastasiou Tsocha 36, Athens, in room 404, 4th floor. The participation of Education Advisors can be done either by physical presence or online.

In addition, it is stressed that a certificate in Computer Science will be provided, which will equip students “with the necessary digital skills for a technologically advanced world”, as Dukakis said. The IT certificate was recently mentioned by Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis when announcing the 11 changes to schools. Specifically, he had said the following: “Along with a new computer science textbook that will be introduced, we will develop a skills certificate that high school graduates will be able to obtain, which will certify their knowledge not at the level of computer use but at the level of algorithmic thinking and coding.”