In recent years, following the memoranda, the field of education has been experiencing an unprecedented «digital storm.».
What we are experiencing in schools today wouldn't even hold up in a science fiction story.
Outside the public school system, an image of superficial chaos is being shaped by many, but mainly by the media and «uneducated» journalistic parrots—an image of superficial chaos in a desperate attempt to discredit the school. Teachers are an easy target.
So, I would like to use this opportunity to describe what is currently happening to us teachers and in the day-to-day operations of the school, so that parents and citizens can gain a more comprehensive picture.
Teachers—and especially school principals and vice principals—find themselves trapped in a never-ending cycle of filling out forms, reports, documents, and electronic forms.
The government’s vision of «digital modernization» has turned into a complex, centralized web of bureaucratic requirements that consumes valuable time, energy, and creativity—and instead of solving problems, it complicates and exacerbates them.
Behind every request from the Ministry of Education or every circular it issues lies a new table, a new platform, and a new, non-negotiable deadline.
Platforms, software, interactive whiteboards, artificial intelligence—a symphony of millions that is changing school life to no avail, since there is still a significant shortage of teachers today, resulting in subpar instruction.
Under this overwhelming pressure, the Regional Education Offices are shifting the burden onto the schools.
Amid the daily grind of digital bureaucracy, the
Teachers are expected to serve simultaneously as instructors, data managers, computer technicians, secretaries, psychologists, and childcare providers.
This ongoing state of «administrative overload» distorts the educational nature of the school and diverts the educational mission from its essential goal: the learning and development of students
This daily, intense work routine leads to problems of occupational fatigue and «burnout» among teachers.
The invisible obligations that go beyond teaching, the excessive focus on administrative tasks, are not merely a matter of time—they are a matter of endurance. Teachers find themselves caught in the grip of this demanding system, unable to resist, with performance evaluations hanging over their heads and a medieval disciplinary system enforced by the current government to subjugate them. The school of the 21stno A school cannot operate this way. It cannot be fearful; it cannot be a «secret school.» Education and teaching require freedom; they require pluralism. Teachers should stand tall and proud, not be sullen and hunched over.
Numerous studies at the European and international levels show that teachers are among the groups with the highest rates of burnout.
Constant changes, conflicting instructions, and the feeling that their work is not recognized cause stress, frustration, and emotional distress.
In Greece, this pressure is exacerbated by the lack of adequate support for their work.
Teachers often work beyond their regular hours—they grade papers, organize activities, participate in professional development, fill out forms, and monitor online platforms.
Managers, in particular, find themselves acting as “crisis managers” for every technical or administrative issue that arises.
Their role as educators is undermined by the obligation to meet deadlines and «upload» the required files on time.
This burnout is not a personal weakness; it is a systemic failure.
When the educational mission turns into a never-ending bureaucratic process, teaching loses its vitality and the pedagogical relationship is eroded. .
In the public eye, the work of teachers is often limited to the image of teaching in the classroom.
In reality, however, the educational community supports a vast range of activities: cultural and environmental programs, volunteer initiatives, student competitions, educational field trips, and school celebrations and events.
All of these activities require preparation, coordination, permits, and extra work hours, usually outside of regular working hours.
Instead of being recognized as a form of creative contribution, they are treated as an additional obligation.
The accumulation of such overlapping responsibilities, combined with administrative red tape, creates a stifling and discouraging environment.
Every time a teacher is forced to choose between preparing an inspiring lesson and filling out a platform with worksheets, the school loses a piece of its soul.
Technology can and must be a tool for freedom, not slavery.
The digital transformation of education must focus on simplification, interoperability, and user support.
We need a unified digital environment in which data is entered once and is available for all purposes.
There is also a need to establish «quiet periods» during which no requests or deadlines are sent, allowing teachers to devote themselves fully to their teaching work.
True reform is not technological, but cultural.
It requires a shift in mindset—from control to trust, from compliance to creativity.
Conclusion? The need for redesign must take on a new meaning, and digital transformation must serve the school’s overarching goal: that every day, all students come to school smiling, eager to learn, and best students.
Because a school is a living organism.
School is not a data-generating machine, nor is it a repository for records.
It is a living organism, a community of relationships, and a space where consciousness and values are shaped.
Every worksheet requested without a valid reason, every platform added without proper planning, every deadline imposed indiscriminately, distances the teacher from the student and undermines the very concept of education.
If we truly want a modern school, we must put people back at the center: the students and the teachers.
Technology should serve education, not replace it.
Only in this way can education rediscover its purpose: to enlighten, inspire, and liberate.
