“We are not numbers; we are people—people who have dedicated so many years to education… we are servants of education, not slaves to any reform.”
Teachers are not backing down; this afternoon, they gathered outside the Presidential Palace to protest the Ministry of Education’s handling of the appointment system.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“Let them make all the data public so we can see the proposals and their implications, because the truth isn’t afraid of the facts.”
READ ALSO: “No to job insecurity”: Teachers outside the Presidential Palace; clash with the Ministry of Education reaches a boiling point (PHOTO)
In fact, they insist that the Ministry of Education’s latest proposal does not provide a substantive response to the concerns of thousands of teachers, nor does it secure their job prospects.
“We hope that both the education authorities and the legislature will get the message.”
Strong Reactions
It should be noted that the 10-year transition period ends this coming September, when the Appointees’ List will be permanently discontinued.
At the same time, they believe that Athina Michailidou’s latest proposal to create a closed registry does not address the problem.
“A closed registry, without any real prospect of professional reinstatement, does not constitute a meaningful safeguard.”
The Minister’s response: “The first thing the teachers’ organizations are asking for is that we ensure their members do not lose their jobs. We are ensuring this by creating a closed registry in which permanent, contract, and substitute teachers with specific qualifications are enrolled.”
A few hours earlier, the Minister of Education had described the reaction of the teachers’ organizations as excessive, stating on the one hand that the new system is more merit-based, while on the other hand she also referred to the updated proposal presented to the organizations.
“We are granting these people the right to be appointed; we are not abandoning them. It will be a 50-50 split between the registry and the list of eligible candidates, followed by an opportunity for permanent employment through an examination.”
This proposal will need to be reviewed by teachers in the coming days so that the matter can be settled once and for all.
Watch Giorgos Chrysanthos’s report:
