More than 12,000 refugee children attended Greek public schools

Greece’s Deputy Education Minister, Meropi Tzoufi presented the annual UNESCO at a special event on Thursday at the Education Ministry in Athens.

The report finding concluded that nearly 12,500 refugee children have attended Greek public schools this year.

According to the report, from the 1 million people that entered Greece between 2015-2016, an estimated 20,000 children remained in the country. Three-quarters live on the mainland, either in camps, urban accommodations or unaccompanied children shelters; the remaining quarter lives on five islands, often exceeding the maximum stay in overcrowded camps.

In August 2016, a government-sponsored committee proposed a refugee education action plan and the establishment of an implementation unit at the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs.

“The total number of registered refugee students at Greek public schools at this moment amounts to around 12,480,” said Deputy Education Minister Meropi Tzoufi.

Tzoufi added that all educational units attended by refugees are manned by psychologists who provide support to refugee children and their families.

The Minister also said that, since 2017, Greece has been participating in a pilot program to register and recognise the academic credentials of refugee children.