Ei-iE

Commissioned and led by the Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation (DOE) and the Greek Federation of Secondary Education State School Teachers (OLME), the study is part of EI’s Global Response to the Privatisation and Commercialisation in and of Education.

It seeks to analyse the multi-faceted phenomenon of emerging privatisation of primary and secondary education in Greece. In particular, it investigates issues such as:

• Theoretical approaches to the privatisation of education
• The economic aspects of private and shadow education
• The laws and institutional frameworks that allow for ‘irregular’ privatisation
• The resolutions and policies of the Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation (DOE) and the Greek Federation of Secondary Education State School Teachers (OLME) concerning the privatisation of Greek public education
• Teachers’ attitudes towards the privatisation process in Greek primary and secondary education.

The study shows the major impact of austerity on public education in the country: the worrying growth of privatisation and shadow education, education staff shortages, the lack of infrastructure and, as a result, increasing public distrust of public education.

The study also highlights the need for immediate measures to address the issues identified and puts forward a set of recommendations, calling on the government to urgently boost funding for public education, increase teachers’ salaries, ensure professional development and support for education workers, and strengthen all public education structures and programmes that have been neglected for years.