Anger in schools: Occupation in 200 - Complaints of inadequate sanitary measures

The inadequate measures taken to halt the course of the coronavirus in education have led to mobilisations in a number of educational institutions across the country.

At the moment, about 200 schools (high schools) are occupied by students protesting against the poor sanitary measures. At the same time, the teachers of these institutions are also abstaining from the process of tele-education, demanding that the ministry provide them with the relevant equipment, which has been pending for the last two years, despite their repeated appeals.

Indeed, on the issue the OLME issued a relevant statement which reads as follows:

«We recall that according to the decision of the General Assembly of Presidents on 25/9/2021, a strike has been declared for the absence of teleteaching in the occupied schools. We remind in any case that teachers are not obliged to use their own logistical infrastructure (PCs, internet connection), as the law 4807/21 which defines the institutional framework of teleworking stipulates:

The department of the institution responsible for providing equipment and information support shall supply the official with the telecommunications equipment and technological devices necessary and appropriate for the effective performance of his duties by teleworking (hereinafter referred to as «teleworking station») and shall provide support for its installation, if the official so wishes...».

Therefore, regardless of the declared strike-absence, it is clear that teachers are not obliged to provide distance education in the occupied schools.».

Rally on Friday

On Friday, 14/01, students, parents and teachers join forces in a rally at the Ministry of Education for safe schools.

The relevant statement of the students' coordination states, among other things:

«We are addressing all students, the student councils of schools across the country. We call on you to fight ALL TOGETHER AS ONE WORTHY ALL-NATIONWIDE. WE ARE RIGHT. WE MUST BE HEARD! EVERY SCHOOL, EVERY PERSON COUNTS!

They are constantly making decisions against us, playing with our health, our education and our future.

Much depends on the answers we give.

Are we going to take matters into our own hands or are we going to let the government and the Department of Education do whatever they want and determine our lives?;

Are we just going to bash the choices they make or are we going to make life difficult for them?;

We are the ones who are right and if you had listened to us and not ignored us we would not have come this far. We are the ones who last year and this year thousands of us took to the streets and were not stopped by terrorism, by blackmail (one with webex, one with expulsions), by chemicals, by riot police, even by arresting students!

We are the ones who have managed to: FREEZE MERGERS IN MANY SCHOOLS. DELAY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUBJECT BANK FOR TWO FULL YEARS. TO FREEZE UNTIL THIS YEAR THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF OPTIONS IN THE COMPUTERISED SYSTEM.

WE CAN NO LONGER TOLERATE THE CHOICES OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION.

For the opening of schools, we demand:

Here and now dilution measures in our ranks. How? By immediate recruitment of teachers to break up classes, by using classrooms that exist in schools and on municipal-regional sites and remain unused. Take back the provocative departmental mergers.

Free and frequent rape tests in schools for all pupils, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, the EODY and in cooperation with the municipalities. Not just self tests, they all know they are not enough.

Do not enter absences when a student is in mandatory or preventative quarantine, awaiting test results. Increase the absence limit in the C grade.

Free necessary masks to students, our parents are heartbroken.

Increase cleaning and disinfection in schools, with more cleaning workers and more materials (antiseptics).

In case of a case, all students should be traced and tested under the responsibility of the school. No running to private diagnostics, “popping” 10 euros every three months.

We won't let you play with our health and lives like they don't matter anymore! Why in the midst of a pandemic instead of reducing the number of students in your classrooms you are increasing them? The latest “gem” is Kerameos“: ”Thinning classrooms does not help in dealing with the pandemic" (!!!)

“Schools are safe.... because students often take self tests... at home” (!!!). What kind of mockery is this?;

You boast about the few departments that have been closed with the unacceptable 50%+1 protocol, but say nothing about the nearly 30% of daily cases that were students before Omicron. Aren't you a little ashamed? Our lives are not statistical numbers!»