Teachers and students across Greece are preparing for nationwide demonstrations on Wednesday, October 21, demanding higher wages, more education funding and safer schools, as a wave of youth protests over deteriorating public services and the rising cost of living spreads across Europe.
The Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation (DOE) has called a 24-hour strike, with rallies scheduled for noon at the Propylaea, the historic University of Athens building in central Athens, and at 11:30 a.m. near the Venizelos statue in Thessaloniki. Secondary school teachers, university students, administrative staff and parents’ associations are also joining the mobilization, with demonstrations planned in dozens of cities.
The protests come amid growing unrest among young Europeans. In France, students have staged weeks of demonstrations over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings, while protests in Spain, Portugal and Italy have focused on housing costs and mounting financial pressures. Greek student organizers have explicitly drawn parallels with the French movement, adopting the slogan, “From Greece to France, we fight for public and free education.”
According to The Guardian, the French demonstrations have prompted the government to promise 3,000 additional substitute teachers and abandon planned increases in some university fees.
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Teachers Demand Higher Pay and More Staff
The primary teachers’ federation says the situation in public education has reached a critical point barely a month into the school year. According to the union, nearly half of teachers earn no more than €1,000 a month, while the purchasing power of their salaries has fallen by almost 60%. Educators are demanding substantial pay increases, the restoration of two additional annual salary payments previously available to public employees, and permanent appointments to fill thousands of vacant teaching positions.
The federation accuses the Education Ministry of trying to compensate for widespread staffing shortages by merging classes, assigning teachers subjects outside their areas of expertise and imposing mandatory overtime. It says these measures have resulted in overcrowded classrooms and lost teaching hours, undermining the quality of public education.
School safety is another major concern. The union says many buildings are poorly maintained and lack adequate earthquake safety inspections, exposing students and staff to unnecessary risks. It cited the recent natural gas leak at the Grava school complex in Athens as an example of the dangers facing the school community. The federation is demanding urgent safety inspections, increased state funding for school maintenance and the recruitment of permanent teachers to fill vacancies The federation also wants smaller classes, proposing a maximum of 15 children in kindergarten classrooms and 20 in elementary schools. It has criticized the government’s teacher evaluation system and disciplinary rules, arguing that they undermine educators’ professional rights.
The Federation of Secondary School Teachers (OLME) has announced a three-hour work stoppage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and urged local unions to arrange additional stoppages to extend the action into a full-day strike.
Students Raise Alarm Over School Safety
Students are raising similar concerns about the state of public education, citing chronic underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school buildings. In a statement, the Athens Students’ Coordinating Committee also criticized the rising cost of food at school cafeterias, excursions and extracurricular activities, alongside relentless examinations that leave students with little free time. The committee argued that access to educational opportunities increasingly depends on families’ financial circumstances. Students also oppose proposals to expand the national university entrance examination system, warning that the changes would place further pressure on teenagers already struggling with demanding school schedules.
Safety concerns also feature prominently in their demands. The committee pointed as well to the situation at the Grava school complex in Athens, which serves approximately 4,500 students, as well as incidents involving falling ceiling materials at schools in Korydallos, Lamia and Thessaloniki.
In Chania, Crete, students have called for school walkouts and blockades on Wednesday, followed by a protest march at 10 a.m. from the city’s Municipal Market Square. In Patras, students have called for a protest rally at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Georgiou Square.
University Students and Parents Join Protests
The Students’ Militant Front (MAS), a nationwide network of university student groups, has called for demonstrations in Athens and more than 35 other cities, following a recent protest camp in Syntagma Square over the rising cost of studying and student housing.
Administrative staff at higher education institutions have also announced a work stoppage.
Special education workers in Attica are also planning a 24-hour strike, citing more than 2,500 unfilled positions in schools and educational support services, along with a reported 56.6% decline in recruitment in the region.
Parents’ associations are also joining the mobilization, including in Kozani, northern Greece, where parents have called for a demonstration outside the local primary education directorate to demand the recruitment of special education personnel, school nurses and other support staff.