Primary schools and kindergartens will be closed on 23 October, as the Greek Teachers' Federation (Didactical Federation of Greece) has announced a 24-hour nationwide strike.

The IOC statement

«We strengthen the continuous struggle for substantial increases in our salaries, for the satisfaction of our children's educational needs for public and free education against the commercialization, categorization and differentiation of schools - students - teachers that the government of the Southwest is attempting.

In the face of the sharp attack of the government of the New Democracy and the Ministry of Education and Culture, we are putting forward the organization of our struggle for the satisfaction of the educational rights of our students, the work and everyday life of teachers. Only the collective path, unity in the struggle, militancy and our determination against the unpopular - anti-educational policy of the government and the Ministry of Education and Science can pave the way for us to have conquests and victories, in order to satisfy our just demands.

«We cannot accept the tragic situation»

Meanwhile, students are preparing for a frontal attack on the sweeping measures that the government and the Ministry of Education are trying to pass at the expense of public education.

The Athens Students' Coordination Committee calls for the closure of schools on Monday 4 November and the holding of protest rallies, in order to make the anxiety about the uncertain future of education heard.

«Do students deserve such schools?»

The main problems that need to be solved are, as every year, training gaps, treating them like criminals, and building problems that can potentially lead to accidents or even mishaps.

As it says, «It turns schools into reformatories with unfair punishments, suspensions, a climate of terror and discipline that make school even more repulsive and antagonistic. But students are not criminals. We care what school we go to, we have dreams and “wants” for our future. And we know how to fight for it collectively, we know how to show solidarity, we know how to be with justice, truth, we have values and ideals.».

The entire announcement:

SCHOOLS CLOSED AND ALL STUDENTS ON THE STREETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

ATHENS, 12:00 PROPYLAEA

Why?;

Because, we cannot accept the tragic situation in our schools and the empty pockets of our parents!

Because in the middle of autumn and we have teacher vacancies, classes with 30 students who can't even have a lesson, problems in the infrastructure. Now, they want to stop even the multi-day school trips! Our school is an endless center of testing and parroting. But, for all this, the government does nothing. We need to make our voices and the problems in our schools heard! We deserve a better school, with teachers in their posts from day one, modern buildings and infrastructure, creative learning and activities, education and prospects for all, not just those whose families can afford it.

Penalties, suspensions, cut field trips... is that the kind of school students deserve?;

The government treats us as if we are criminals. It turns schools into reformatories with unfair punishments, suspensions, a climate of terror and discipline that make school even more repulsive and antagonistic. But students are not criminals. We care what school we go to, we have dreams and “wants” for our future. And we know how to fight for it collectively, we know how to show solidarity, we know how to be with justice, truth, we have values and ideals. Instead of apologizing to all the governments and the Ministry for making a mess of our schools, instead of listening to our demands, all they do is threaten us with suspensions and penalties, asking us to remain silent and unheard! We are not doing them any favors! Down with the Ministry's bullying of students!

Because we do not want our country to participate in the wars, to help in the massacre of the Palestinian people.

Students send the strongest anti-war message! We stand with the people of Palestine and their just demand to have their own homeland, with the peoples of the whole world who are suffering the horrors of war. We are showing the government that it does not have our consent to involve our country in all this, to spend billions on wars. Money for education and health, not for the slaughterhouses of war!

Because, it turned out that only with our struggle we can win our rights!

All over the country we took to the streets, mobilized together with our parents and teachers and conquered in dozens of schools the obvious: not to abolish sections of GEL directions, to operate dozens of specialties of EPAL, not to merge sections with 28+ students, to take back unjust expulsions. So we will continue!

Because, students are part of all the struggles that corner the government and show our power!

We take the baton from the delivery people at WOLT, Efood, from the doctors, the teachers, from our working parents in every place who have been fighting for better working conditions all this time. From our student brothers and sisters who will be with us again in the streets for education for all of us. From the soldiers who oppose our country's participation in wars. From those who have not forgotten the children in Tempe and continue to fight, sing and demand that the culprits pay: the state, ministers, governments, corporations.

We call:

The student councils and schools to discuss and decide to participate with our common demands and their own demands in the nationwide day of student mobilizations, occupations, abstentions and actions, Monday 4/11
To organize, beyond Athens, and in other cities, student marches together with students, parents, teachers
Participate as much as we can in the strikes of our teachers on 23/10
To build banners in our schools and in our cities with our slogans and demands, to be heard from Thrace to Crete and from the centre of Athens to Thessaloniki.

Requests for 4/11: