A draft law of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs entitled “Living Harmoniously Together – Breaking the Silence: Arrangements for the prevention and treatment of violence and bullying in schools and other provisions” was submitted for public consultation yesterday.
The draft anti-bullying law aims to prevent and deal with violence and bullying within the country’s primary and secondary education structures.
More specifically, at the school unit level, it is assigned to the School Director, who is assisted by a School Life Advisor.
At the Education Management level, the collective response and handling of incidents is institutionalised. There are action groups per Directorate of Education, in which psychologists and social workers participate.
At the level of Regional Directorates of Education, the Regional Directors and Heads of KEDASY (Interdisciplinary Evaluation, Counselling and Support Centres) of the Directorate are informed.
As well as dealing with the incidents at the school unit level, a special seven-member scientific committee at the Ministry of Education is planned, with the participation of expert scientists.
In addition to scientific potential and teacher trainings, against the phenomenon of intra-school violence and bullying, digital tools are being deployed to facilitate student reporting. The function of a digital platform for receiving and lodging anonymous reports from students is introduced as part of the new legislation due to the fact that anonymous reporting makes it easier for the victim or classmate to report related incidents.
The bill also includes the following provisions:
Research Centres of the Academy of Athens – Three Research Centres are recommended at the Academy of Athens, at the request of the Academy, with the aim of promoting scientific research in specific fields of science and the way of meeting the needs of these centres in research staff is regulated. Specifically, the following are recommended: a) the Centre for Space Research and Technology (KE.D.ET.), whose purpose is to promote scientific research in the fields of space science, with an emphasis on space physics and the development of related applications with space science and technology; b) the Centre for Research and Education in Public Health (K.E.D.Y.)
Evaluation of the work of Directors, Deputy Directors and DIEK Trainers – a dynamic, multi-level and effective evaluation system for Directors, Deputy Directors and vocational training trainers of the public Vocational Training Institutes (VET) under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Religion is established, for the first time by law. An important innovation of the evaluation system, the participation of all those involved in the evaluation procedures, with a key parameter of the new system being the participation of the trainees in the evaluation of Directors, Deputy Directors and professional training instructors of the I.E.K.
Other provisions, among others include:
- Arrangements for doctoral study programs, as well as the possibility for A.E.I. of the country to organise and operate joint study programs with recognised institutions abroad, leading to degrees, on the basis of drafting a memorandum of cooperation.
- Staff issues of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are specifically regulated.
Special issues related to the Special Research Accounts (SRA) of the Higher Education Institutions (A.E.I.) are regulated. - From the academic year 2022 – 2023 the Supreme Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens automatically enters as a quasi-Catholic successor of the A.E.A. Vellas of Ioannina and Thessaloniki, whose operation ceased from the academic year 2022-2023.
- Arrangements for the provision of services by education executives and other teachers at the Institute of Educational Policy within the framework of the E.S.P.A. 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 and of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0.
Interested citizens and institutions are invited to submit their comments, which will be taken into account for the submission of the final draft law to Parliament, for processing and voting. During the consultation, the leadership of the Ministry will request the opinions of the representatives of the teachers concerning the relevant provisions of the bill.
“Given the importance of this legislative initiative, we invite you to participate in the public online consultation, expressing your views and comments on the proposed regulations,” said Niki Kerameos, The Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, in a statement yesterday.
The consultation will end on Monday 20 February 2023 at 09:00.
See the consultation by clicking on this link.
