25-10-16 Nikos Filis inaugurates the 1st Special Education Primary School in Ilion
The 1st Special Education Primary School of Ilion was inaugurated by Education, Research and Religious Affairs Minister Nikos Filis, along with Ilion Mayor Nikos Zenetos, Metropolitan bishop Athenagoras of Ilion, Deputy Western Athens Prefect Spyros Tzokas, city councilors and hundreds of local residents.
“I hope many such schools may be inaugurated for children who need them,” Filis said.
The construction budget was 63 million euros and the school is considered the country’s best equipped special education school in terms of infrastructure. It is already fully staffed, and about 50 students have registered since the start of the school year.
In his address, Nikos Filis underlined that the ministry has demonstrated in practice its sensitivity toward special education. He said that 9,000 special education substitute teacher in all specialisations have been hired – an over ten-year record number. In addition, this year 500 new induction classes been established, and Special Education Schools operated from the first day of classes for the first time in 30 years, surprising parents.
Responding to about a dozen protesting teachers’ demands, Nikos Filis announced that tenured teachers will be appointed in September, 2017.
Mayor Nikos Zenetos congratulated those who completed the construction project, and noted that the minister has agreed to discuss with the municipality the problems of local schools in order to jointly seek solutions. Metropolitan Athenagoras also congratulated those who oversaw the project, noting that cooperation between all state institutions can produce benefits for citizens.
Earlier, Nikos Filis visited the 5th and 11th Primary Schools, which share a 1964-1965 facility, originally designed as a prison.
Accompanied by the mayor, Filis witnessed first-hand the building problems that students and teachers face each day, and agreed with a teacher who declared that the prison must at long last be turned into a functional school.
The minister pledged that if Ilion has another site suitable for construction of a new school, the ministry will attempt to offer assistance. “We support equality in schools and we want all children to enjoy the same right to education. Here in Ilion, which is a working class neighbourhood, the state has a duty to provide schools that are spacious and pleasant for children,” Filis said.
Later, Nikos Filis spoke with the Teachers’ Association and the president of the parents’ association, who sought, aside from building improvements, additional teacher training. Filis agreed on the need for continuous training, both regarding teaching methods and ways to handle issues such as bullying, racism, and learning disabilities.
