According to its announcement, the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs has managed to impose serious cuts in operational costs and personnel in Greek schools abroad without affecting the schools’ normal function.
The Greek Parliament begins discussions today on the new bill concerning Greek Language Education abroad, which will promote Education in Greek in other countries with additional emphasis to the Diaspora. Moreover, the new bill aims both at upgrading the education provided abroad and rationalizing expenditures.
For example, in 2009-2010 2.350 Greek teachers had been detached to Greek schools abroad, in 2010-2011 the number was reduced to 1.859, while this year it was further reduced to 1.430.
As far as the expenditures are concerned, the total amount in 2009 was 106 million euros, in 2010 88 million euros, while in 2011 it is expected to reach 73 million euros. With the full implementation of the new bill, however, expenditures are estimated to be 50% lower than in 2009.
Up to now 73% of the Greek language education units abroad have not been established by the Greek state but by private organizations, parents associations, communities and the Greek Church.
In other words, the Greek Ministry of Education had been sending teachers and funds to these educational units without knowing their exact teaching programme, the exact number of attending students, the graduate students, the teachers’ working hours and the end result of the whole process. Most of the time detached teachers to Greek schools abroad worked only 2 hours on Saturdays and sometimes 2 hours during the week.
Alternate Minister for education Mrs. Fofi Gennimata stated that this situation needed to be changed immediately.
“Reinforcing Education in Greek abroad and adjusting it to the current data is a major challenge for us. We want to create school units where students will get the opportunity of continuing their tertiary studies in the countries they already live in. we want to achieve quality. We want Greek language education to get the place it rightfully deserves and become the Greek culture envoy at international levels” said Mrs. Gennimata.
The Alternate Minister continued by stating that the Greek government aims at rendering Greek language education possible for every Greek man or woman around the world. “Greeks all over the world must be assured that the Greek state will cooperate, evaluate financial resources and proceed with all necessary changes in order to bridge the existing quality gap in Greek schools abroad” continued Mrs. Gennimata.
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