On OPEN’s morning show «Ora Elladas,» reporters Panagiotis Stathis and Giannis Kolokythas discussed the critical situation at Kythira High School, which is facing a severe shortage of teachers. Ippolytos Prekas, a representative of the Parents and Guardians Association, described the parents« despair, as the school began the new school year with only the principal and two female teachers for 90 students, a situation considered »unprecedented.”.
Despite the arrival of substitute teachers during the second phase, there are still significant vacancies. There is a shortage of teachers in core subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, geography, art, music, and physical education. Mr. Prekas noted that, due to a shortage of staff, the relevant authorities have opted to merge high school departments, «borrowing» teachers from the middle school and requiring them to work overtime, placing an additional burden on the teachers.
Despite repeated appeals, parents and students have not received a satisfactory response from the government. In protest, students and parents are boycotting classes, with the Kythira Junior High School receiving the support of the island’s entire educational community. Mr. Prekas called on the Minister of Education to take an interest in the island’s problems, emphasizing that the delay in filling vacant teaching positions is resulting in significant losses for the students.
The show’s reporters promised to highlight the issue and contact the Ministry of Education to explore possible solutions to the problem, emphasizing that the problem in Kythira is not an isolated one, but affects many remote areas of the country.
