Meropi Tzoufi requests immediate solutions for the multiple problems in Special Education from the Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis. With a question submitted to the Parliament, which is co-signed by 29 SYRIZA-PS MPs, he emphasizes that “three weeks after the opening of schools, the conditions prevailing in Special Education practically question the access of students with disabilities to public education”.

As indicated, the main problem is the large staff shortages, as the Ministry of Education hired only 14,484 substitute teachers and members of special educational and support staff. It is noted that last year a total of 22,967 teachers, VET and VET were hired without fully covering the gaps and requests for parallel support. As a result, this year has started for special education with gaps reaching 40% compared to the total recruitments made last year.

In addition, the SYRIZA-PS MPs point out that the recent statements of the Deputy Minister of Education, Domnas Michailidou, about the Parallel support (“it is not right to have a parallel support teacher for every child who needs it”), they are unscientific and ignore the decisions of KEDASY, which examines the requests and decides on the support of students with disabilities. They also note that this particular practice leads parents to look for private solutions, as long as they can respond financially.

Her issue also remains open transportation of male and female students. As noted in the question, many children from the special schools in Athens are unable to go to school due to delays in the competition for hiring drivers and attendants for the specially configured school buses. Similarly in Thessaloniki, where according to ESAmeA more than 600 students with disabilities are unable to move to and from school units due to the barren competitions for taking over the movements.

In this context, the 30 MPs of SYRIZA-PS call on the Minister of Education to answer about the exact number of vacancies in teachers, EE and EBP in general and special schools, when the needs will be met and whether the necessary credits have been secured for the recruitment.

They also ask the minister to answer if he adopts the views of Deputy Minister Domnas Michaelidis regarding cuts in Parallel Support and if a legislative regulation is being processed that will bypass KEDASY and the scientific procedures for evaluating requests. Finally, they call on him to proceed with immediate actions in order to restore the movement of students to and from the school units.

The question is co-signed by:

Athanasia Anagnostopoulou, Evangelos Apostolakis, Avlonitis Alexandros-Christos, Gavrilos Georgios, Gerovasilis Olga, Douro Rena, Zambaras Miltiadis, Nasos Iliopoulos, Othon Iliopoulos, Thraskia Ourania, Kalamatianos Dionysios, Karameros Georgios, Kedikoglou Simeon, Kond otoli Marina, Linou Athena, Malama Kyriaki, Mamoulakis Haris, Meikopoulos Alexandros, Barkas Konstantinos, Notopoulou Ekaterini, Xanthopoulos Theofilos, Panagiotopoulos Andreas, Papailiou George, Perka Theopistis, Poulos Panagiou, Sarakiotis Ioannis, Fotiou Theano, Haritsis Alexis, Psychogios George