Gov’t prepares plan to integrate refugee children to Greek schools

Greek government prepares a plan to integrate refugee children into Greek schools accepting its fate to host for a long time and incorporate large groups of immigrants and refugees in Greece risking to alter the characteristics of many local communities and ignoring the long term implications of that decision, given that many European countries are refusing to share responsibility.

While Greece is trying to convince its partners to share the burden of the refugee flow, at the same time the government seems to resign from its demands, since it volunteers to host permanently large groups of people.

According to a plan drafted by the Ministry of Education, the children of refugees and immigrants, who will stay in Greece, are going to attend Greek schools. The plan is based on the integration process applied in the ’90s for thousands of children who came from Albania.

The Greek Action Plan revealed by Proto Thema newspaper includes the immediate establishment of reception classes in all hot spots so as the children to be equipped with the required skills and reach the education level of Greek students regarding mainly Greek language skills.

The plan was presented by Education Minister Nikos Filis at the Meeting of Education Ministers in Brussels a few days ago. “The reaction was positive,” Mr. Filis told Proto Thema pointing out that the Greek experience on the issue of education will be an example for other countries.