She expressed her deep sorrow for the death of an educator in Thessaloniki, the Board of Directors of the Federation of Secondary Education Officers (OΛME) expresses its condolences to her family and relatives. The tragic incident has shocked the educational community throughout the country and has reignited the public debate about the working conditions of teachers in Greek schools.

According to the statement of OΛME, the focus of the debate is the attitude of society and the state towards teachers, as well as the pressures that accumulate daily in the school environment. As noted, teachers are called upon to perform their work in a context of increasing demands, without the necessary institutional and substantial support.

The federation describes a reality that, it says, is increasingly burdening the functioning of schools. Among the main problems listed are large classes of 27 and 28 pupils, the lack of adequate support structures – such as social workers and psychologists – and the constant movement of teachers, who are often forced to work in four or even five different schools.

At the same time, the OΛME stresses that the wider social problems experienced by students and families are also reflected in the everyday life of schools. The financial difficulties, the intense anxiety about the exams, the dependence on tutorials and an increasingly pressurised examination system create an environment of high pressure for all those involved in the learning process.

In these circumstances, teachers are called upon to fulfil their pedagogical role, despite – as noted – the intensification of their work, the economic devaluation of the sector and a climate of disciplinary sanctions and persecution, which is straining the working environment in schools.

OLME emphasises that the support of the educational work cannot be limited to declarations. On the contrary, it calls for the effective strengthening of the school units with the permanent presence of social workers and psychologists, as well as the creation of structures that will practically support the teachers in their everyday life.

At the same time, the federation points out that shifting the public debate to individual responsibilities of students, parents or teachers addresses the issue mainly in administrative or legislative terms. According to it, the central problem remains the need to effectively strengthen public schools and the people who serve them – a mission that, it says, the policies designed and implemented do not adequately serve.

The full investigation of the circumstances of the incident in Thessaloniki is considered by OLME to be absolutely necessary. However, it is equally important – as it is stressed – to take immediate and substantial measures to support teachers and strengthen the public school.

“Teachers cannot be treated as expendable”, the statement underlines, stressing that a public school that wants to educate children in a meaningful way must actively support the people who keep it upright on a daily basis.

In conclusion, the Board of Directors of OLME stresses that the priority should be the return to a school that focuses on the human being – both the student and the teacher.

The statement:

The Board of the OLME expresses its sincere condolences to the family and relatives of the teacher who lost her life in Thessaloniki, an event that has shocked the educational community throughout the country.

The public debate is dominated by the treatment of teachers by society and the state, i.e. the pressures that accumulate daily in the school environment and the lack of effective support for teachers by the state.

The conditions that are formed in schools are increasingly burdening the educational work and the daily life of teachers.

Large classes of 27 and 28 students, the absence of adequate support structures such as social workers and psychologists, the constant movement of teachers to 4 and 5 schools, and the constant transfer of new responsibilities to teachers make up a reality that makes the operation of the school substantially more difficult.

At the same time, the problems experienced by students and their families are reflected in school life: financial difficulties, intense anxiety about exams, dependence on tutorials and an increasingly pressurized examination system.

In these circumstances, teachers are called upon to fulfil their pedagogical role, despite the increasing intensification of their work, the economic devaluation of the profession and a climate of disciplinary sanctions and persecution that is straining the working environment in schools.

Support for the work of teachers cannot remain in words. It requires the effective strengthening of school units with the permanent presence of social workers and psychologists, as well as the creation of structures that will practically support teachers in their work.

Shifting the discussion to individual responsibilities of students, parents or teachers works in terms of legislative and administrative terms. But the overriding issue is the need to substantially strengthen public schools and the people who serve them, a mission that the policies designed and implemented by those who govern and administer are far from serving.

A full investigation into the circumstances of the incident in Thessaloniki is absolutely necessary. However, equally necessary is the immediate and substantial action to support teachers and strengthen public schools.

Teachers cannot be treated as expendable. A public school that wants to educate children in a meaningful way must actively support the people who keep it upright on a daily basis.”

The priority must be a return to a people-centered school.

The Board of Directors of OLME