Starting in September, Greece will introduce online schools for students on certain remote islands so they won’t be forced to relocate to continue their education.
This innovative approach will begin on the tiny island of Gavdos in September and will expand to the island of Arkoi in September 2025.
Arkoi belongs to the Dodecanese archipelago and is close to the Turkish West coast.
It might sound simple in this day and age, but it’s not. Many Greek children and adolescents have had to relocate in the past along with their families when it was time to go to high school.
This year, for the first time, they will get to stay in their hometown, as the “Autonomes Taxeis” initiative, which translates as “Autonomous Classrooms” is set to begin on the island of Gavdos, south of Crete.
The new law, which was voted on recently by the Greek Parliament, stipulates that this new system could be used in any remote area of the country, either mountainous or on an island, based on the needs of each area.
Students from Greece’s remote islands had to relocate to go to school
As we all know, Greece has approximately 2,000 islands and islets, with 200 being inhabited. As can be understood, this number includes tiny islands and islets with few residents and even fewer children.
Two examples of this are the islands of Gavdos and Arkoi. Gavdos has less than 150 permanent residents and Arkoi is inhabited permanently by approximately 40 people.
The sheer fact that these two islands have such small populations makes the operation of schools a herculean task.
Firstly, not many teachers want to relocate and work permanently on such tiny islands with limited infrastructure and means. Secondly, sometimes the island population itself has aged so much that there are hardly any children left.
This harsh reality has led Greece to adopt new technologies to assist these communities in the nation’s most remote areas.
The shape of the new remote school
Starting this September 11th, traditionally the day Greek students go back to school after their summer holidays, the island of Gavdos will benefit from the new system.
A total of three secondary teachers will be located on the island permanently to provide face-to-face lessons on the core subjects to the students.
The remaining subjects on the curriculum will be covered by specific-subject teachers who are located elsewhere in the country and are tasked with offering online lessons to the students of Gavdos.
Critics say government trying to save money
Despite the obvious benefits of this new system, critics in Greece say that remote islands need full-time schools regardless of the number of students there.
It is widely accepted that children need full socialization in the school environment, so critics suggest that only a few hours of face-to-face lessons will not be enough.
Regardless of the validity of this argument, the fact that students won’t have to relocate to another island or to the mainland, however, is a big step in the right direction.
