The Ministry of Education’s bill, “Regulations for the digital Educational Portal and Digital Tutoring, vocational guidance in secondary education, measures to support the educational system in remote areas”, was passed by a majority, in the first reading, by the Education Affairs Committee of the Parliament.
The MPs of the governing majority as well as the independent MP Charalambos Katsivardas were in favor of the principle of the bill, while SYRIZA, PASOK-KINAL, EL.LY, Pleussi Eleftherias and Spartiates, reserved for its vote in the plenary and the KKE together with the New Left and NIKI, declared that they are voting against.
Obviously, the superiority of live education over distance learning is indisputable, stated Deputy Minister I. Lytrivi
It was preceded by the proposals, observations and objections of the competent extra-parliamentary bodies, which had been invited to the competent Committee to submit their opinions as well as the assurances of the Deputy Minister of Education, Ioannas Lytrivi, that “their improving and very useful opinions will be taken into account”. At the same time, Mrs. Lytrivi dismissed objections and fears about the abolition of in-person education, stressing that “the superiority of in-person education over distance education is obviously indisputable”.
“I don’t think it should cross anyone’s mind. But the experience of the pandemic showed us that if there were no technical tools, the digital facility, the children would be left out of the learning process for about two years with incalculable consequences”, he pointed out.
Mrs. Lytrivi emphasized the provisions “to strengthen the digital transformation by providing free digital tutoring and professional guidance”, underlining that “all platforms will be fully accessible to people with disabilities”.
“We all agree, based on international data on youth unemployment and skills mismatch, that support is needed. This digital platform for school career guidance is a medium, and yes, it will be free,” he said. “An amount of European funding of 15 million euros has already been secured for four years,” he added.
Responding to the president of OIELE, who stated that all the major problems faced by private education workers remain unsolved, the Deputy Minister of Education countered that, “obviously not all the problems of private education are being addressed”. As he said, “this is a fundraising bill, which deals with the urgent issues concerning all levels of education” and he announced that “in the planning of the Ministry of Education, in the fall, a bill for primary and secondary education, where there all requests will be evaluated and in cooperation with all the competent bodies we will proceed with relevant legislation”.
Finally, the Deputy Minister of Education denied a publication of the newspaper “Kathimerini” according to which “the way is open for the placement of secondary school teachers in the position of teachers in primary schools, initially in private ones”.
“If we intend to do anything, it is reflected in this draft law, so, for you not to see something like this and for us not to have said something like this, it goes to say that it is not our intention,” he said. “On the contrary, our intention is to regulate the unregulated issue of study centers in cooperation with the competent bodies” added the deputy minister.
The views of the agencies
On the part of the competent bodies, the president of OLME, Theodoros Tsouchlos, described “the digital tutorial as useful”, at the same time expressing his disagreement “with the possible abolition of live education and its replacement with tele-courses, which should be limited to necessary only cases”.
He also expressed concern about “the possibility with a ministerial decision to expand digital education with tele-courses”, while he pointed out that “the entire process of the digital base for professional guidance and dealing with intra-school violence should remain in the State, and should be further strengthened with public specialist advisers, psychologists and social workers and not to give the implementation of the programs to private individuals”.
He also described as positive the provision for autonomous classes in border areas with the placement of three teachers.
Spyros Marinis, president of the Greek Teachers’ Federation, opposed the bill, accusing the Ministry of Education of “not taking into account any of the proposals of its 80,000 members, paving the way for the commercialization of education and discrediting teachers”.
“No measures to support teachers, nothing for non-appointed teachers and substitutes or to shield the infrastructure. Our disagreement on the selection criteria is on record. It is a bill that starts with hopes of upgrading education, but ends up in the same impasse and on the road to privatization. Digital classrooms are promoted as a substitute for live education.
The ministry sees recruitment as a cost, overlooks important issues, allows non-transparent procedures to continue and has a logic of privatizing education. We demand fully staffed schools. The online platform on school violence ignores the generative problems. It is another step in the privatization of education. Article 18 is the apotheosis of cost-benefit logic. The promotion of distance education is done with the logic of cuts, while the detachments and transfers are done without any scientific documentation”, said Mr. Marinis, among other things.
Ioannis Fasoulakis, president of POSEEPEA, spoke of the “cost-benefit logic of the bill”, he emphasized “the need to staff the schools at the start of the school year, the abolition of the institution of substitute teachers and the institution of permanent staff, ensuring the transportation of students by a public institution, and lifelong education, with a transparency system that will fully ensure access to students with special needs, without cuts”.
Yiannis Lymvaios, organizational secretary of the ESAmeA, described the new legislative initiative for the digital school as very positive, however, as he said, “it must also fully ensure the universal accessibility of people with disabilities, both in their education and in their transportation ».
“We raise the issue of access for people with disabilities to both physical and electronic education. It is of utmost importance to us that it covers not only students with disabilities, but also teachers and parents with disabilities.
There are serious deficiencies in their accessibility, while the relevant conclusion that has been drawn up is not being implemented,” he said.
Stavros Doulkeridis, representative of the Association of Graduate Engineers PADA, said he was positive about the bill, pointing out that one of their constant requests is being met.
“It is now ensured that all the graduates of the PADA engineering school departments, who completed a five-year undergraduate study program, will be included in the assignments with the departments of polytechnic schools of AEI. This amendment will be a guarantee for the new ESEAA, the end of our fair effort for the performance of professional rights to thousands of graduated engineers of PADA”, he emphasized.
Ioannis Seimenis, president of POSDEP, argued that “the bill tries to solve minor issues, while serious problems, such as those concerning academic scholarships, are not regulated. He requested that higher educational institutions have a primary role in the process and that decisions be taken with the consent of the senate.
Spyros Doukakis, president of the Institute for Educational Policy, spoke of “an excellent initiative that will offer many positives to the educational community, and characterized the digital portal as “substantial support with high quality to students and teachers”.
Giorgos Melissarios, representative of the Federation of Private Educational Officers of Greece, said that private education was not taken into account in the bill, while the articles are in favor of the owners and not the employees, at the same time that 1/3 of the sector has been laid off.
“There is a culpable relationship of entanglement with private schools, which let them run unchecked. The establishment of the digital platform is in the positive direction, as long as there are provisions, industrial relations are protected, incentives are given and it remains in the control of the State – and the same should be true for the platform on school violence,” he noted. .
Nikos Skikos, president of the Panhellenic Union of Informatics Professors, underlined that “distance education for school students gave a specific boost and now it can be used, taking a bigger step in terms of the Digital Tutorial as well”.
“We should weigh the pros and cons. We consider that these articles lean towards the positive side, regarding the digital transformation of education”, he added.
Thomas Gouvalis, vice-president of the Panhellenic Association of Directors of Public Vocational Training Institutes, also expressed his support for the bill. As he said, “the contribution of the Register, through the interoperability between the rest of the information systems that support the operation of (SAEK), will prove to be an important tool in practice – as in recent years it has provided important solutions and the contribution of saving resources”.
“It will be possible, through the platform of the Register, to contract the trainers, to assign the courses, and for each trainer to have an overview of the way in which the assignments are made, but also in general for the whole operation Registry, so that a green operation can be done,” he added.
Iliadis Christos, vice-president of the Permanent Committee for Combating Violence, characterized the provisions for identifying and eliminating violence in sports as “effective in their entirety”, stressing that articles 84, 87 and 88 are very important, not only in that it concerns targeting and problem solving, but also as a result of the know-how gained in practice from the operation of the committee, within the framework of Law 5085/2024.
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