08-08-16   Minister said all is set for start of school year and refugee education

In a wide-ranging interview with the Athens municipal radio station Athina 9.84, Education Minister Nikos Filis expressed optimism  that PM Alexis Tsipras’ aim for a common front of southern EU states to advance their economic interests will be well received by other leaders, as the chasm between the north with it large trade surpluses and the south with its large deficits is growing. But he underlined that such a process will take time.

Asked about the bill allowing the erection of a large mosque in Athens, Filis attributed the years of  delay under previous governments to a mixture of Islamophobic, ultra-religious, and nationalist mentalities [among the public] , and he argued that the operation of mosques with legal permits will have a security benefit as well.

Filis said that all is in place for a smooth start of the school year on September 12, as all textbooks (17 million) have been received by schools, and there are provisions for the hiring of 21,000 substitute teachers this year.

The education minister reiterated plans for educating refugee and migrant students, with reception classes that will be held after the regular school day , and teach Greek as a second language, at first. A 9.5 million euro budget will cover student transportation. For children in refugee camps far from urban centres, reception classes will be set up in the camps. The minister has in the past said that 22,000 refugee children currently reside in Greece.

Asked about the backlash against a law regulating labour relations and hourly programmes at private schools, Filis said owners seek to operate their schools as a regular business, with the right to fire teachers without explanation. While noting a report in the daily Kathimerini , which said the troika of Greece’s lenders will seek to block the law, but Filis said that this has not been communicated to the government by the creditors.

Finally, in regard to the possibility of advancing a church-state separation during a future constitutional revision, Filis defended PM Tsipras’ plans for a mild reform, ensuring state neutrality toward religions and retaining the constitutional provision that Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion . He said constitutional scholars interpret the word “predominant” as simple confirmation that the majority of citizens are Greek Orthodox.

The education minister also underlined that the church should remain a public law legal entity.