On Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Athina Michailidou, to education organizations on Tuesday, stating that the positions of teachers already working as permanent, contract, and substitute teachers are safeguarded. However, the teachers’ organizations continue to believe that their key demands have not been met and are leaving open the possibility of proceeding with the planned mobilization as scheduled.

Speaking after the meeting, Education Minister Athina Michaelidou stated that the updated proposal includes specific changes and called on the teachers’ unions to review it and respond in writing within one weekweek. She noted that a new meeting would then be held, “perhaps for the last time before the matter is settled,” with the aim of finalizing the proposal, turning it into a bill, having it undergo legislative drafting, and submitting it to Parliament.

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Ms. Michaelidou said that the Ministry’s proposal “addresses the organizations’ main concerns,” since, as she explained, there will be enough teachers available for appointment even after 2027 through a new, updated list of eligible candidates, while at the same time protecting those already working in public schools.

Specifically, he noted that permanent, contract, and substitute teachers “are safeguarded; they remain on a closed registry and are appointed alongside those eligible for appointment.”

At the same time, he said that teachers who have already passed the exam will not be disadvantaged, as they will have the opportunity to be appointed and granted permanent status, while the ranking exam maintains the same level of difficulty and comparability as the previous exam.

“Therefore, we believe our proposal is balanced; it provides opportunities for people currently working to first gain employment and then easily secure permanent status through the ranking exam,” she said.

The Minister noted that the proposal also provides an opportunity for new people to enter the teaching profession.

Michailidou: We Do Not Expect Full Agreement

When asked whether she is optimistic about reaching a compromise, Ms. Michailidou said that the Ministry does not expect full agreement.

“On these issues, let me remind you, just as with the evaluation process, we are implementing reforms and making significant changes; we do not expect full agreement. It would be strange to have full agreement,” she said.

As she explained, the organizations want to protect their members, while the Ministry “does not just look at today; it looks to tomorrow, to the future of this country, to our children.”

The Minister expressed optimism that the process will move forward in Parliament, noting that the decision to abolish the list of appointees was made in 2015, but its implementation was postponed for ten years.

“These 10 years have created a host of distortions, and that is why we are here to resolve them,” she said.

Appointments after 2027 will pose no problem, says the Minister

When asked about the need for teachers after 2027, Ms. Michaelidou said that the Ministry believes there will be no problem, as the new registry is being created.

As she explained, with the departure of the approximately 40,000 people currently on the list of candidates for appointment, the employment prospects for those already serving in the education system will improve.

“It cleans up—if I may use that term—the list, and the people who have served the system over the past five years, for example, remain,” he said.

At the same time, she noted that some teachers who are currently low on the list—for example, in positions 700 or 1,000—will have the opportunity to secure permanent positions more quickly.

At the same time, Ms. Michailidou expressed concern that the protests had been announced before the unions had seen the updated proposal.

“We find it strange that protests were announced before they even saw what was changing,” she said, while acknowledging that the right to protest is fully respected.

Regarding the timeline, the Minister said that the goal is, “ideally,” to pass the legislation before the end of the year. She clarified, however, that any delay would not affect the next school year.

New teacher placements for the next school year, she said, will be made under the current system, with a 50-50 split between appointed and newly appointed teachers, while the new system will be implemented starting in 2027, provided the relevant legislation is passed.

Tenure Only Through Exams

When asked whether permanent status would be granted only through exams, Ms. Michaelidou answered in the affirmative, emphasizing that there is no other legal way.

“Legally, there is no other way. We cannot act unlawfully in this matter,” she said.

She added that “if this is the only reason for the protests, the labor unions should reconsider.”

The Minister described the proposal as “very well-documented,” noting that the Ministry is listening to the organizations’ concerns but cannot fully meet all their demands.

“This all-or-nothing approach won’t help at all,” she said.

In conclusion, he said that maintaining the existing list would mean perpetuating the problems that have arisen in recent years.

“It’s as if I were to bring the list of appointees and perpetuate the problems we’ve experienced in recent years,” he said.

OELMEK: Thorny and serious issues remain

The President of OELMEK, Konstantinos Konstantinou, expressed serious reservations about the revised proposal, noting that, from the initial presentation, the key issues raised by the organizations appear to remain.

“At first glance, it appears that there are still serious issues that concern us, and it seems, at first glance, that the mobilization will proceed as planned,” he said.

Mr. Konstantinou noted that the organizations are awaiting the text of the proposal and will meet both separately and jointly to provide a detailed written response.

He added that “it appears that the thorny and serious issues we have been raising in the public discourse for some time now have not been addressed.”

When asked whether the planned protest outside the Presidential Palace could be suspended as a gesture of goodwill until the proposal is reviewed, Mr. Konstantinou replied that the organizations would issue a joint statement by tomorrow.

He declined to comment on specific points, noting that, as of that moment, only a presentation had been given and he had not yet received the written text.

He did, however, identify the protection of teachers already working in public education as a key point of disagreement.

“The most important point we’ve been raising in this dialogue for a very long time—and which we keep reiterating—is that we want to ensure job security for all these colleagues, who have been working for years in public schools, have proven their worth, have been evaluated, have undergone professional development, and in our view—and based on what we heard today—it appears they are not being safeguarded,” he said.

POED: The conditions for canceling the mobilization have not yet been met

POED President Myra Vassiliou, who said that the organizations attended the meeting without much optimism but expected the Ministry to address the issues of concern to their members.

“So, on the matter of principle—which Konstantinos also mentioned earlier—it appears the Ministry remains unyielding,” she said.

Ms. Vassiliou emphasized that the organizations must first have the written text in hand so they can study it and form an opinion.

“It does not appear that the prospects we had anticipated are materializing, so we cannot say today with 100% certainty that there are grounds to call off the mobilization,” she said.

As he explained, the key issue is avoiding the “victimization” of teachers and ensuring their job security.

“We have not heard today that this is being guaranteed. So it remains a sticking point, a point of disagreement,” he noted.

Source: CNA