The Greek Ministry of Education decided to shut down a private school after allegations emerged that a teacher had sexually harassed female students.

An investigation by the National Transparency Authority (NTA) revealed that despite the teacher resigning following the complaints, he was rehired by a different business owned by the same educational institution.

According to a statement by the NTA, the complaint highlighted inappropriate behavior by the teacher towards students. The NTA immediately conducted an inspection and requested the Education Directorate to initiate a formal inquiry (known as an Administrative Investigation) to verify the facts.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the teacher had been rehired at another venture by the institution’s owner, even though it was not related to education.

Furthermore, the investigation found that the owner of the school had a history of disciplinary actions, including being permanently dismissed from public service due to unauthorized private work while employed at a public school.

Despite this, the owner was still listed as the legal representative when the school was licensed, violating the existing regulations that require private school representatives to have a clean record.

Three Actions Taken:

1. The NTA report was forwarded to the Prosecutor of Appeals for criminal evaluation.
2. The findings were sent to the Ministry’s General Directorate for strict enforcement of regulations concerning licensing issues.
3. The Minister of Education, following the recommendations, suspended the operating license of the school, leading to its closure by the competent Education Directorate.

This case reflects the Ministry’s strict stance on safeguarding student safety and ensuring compliance with educational standards.