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"2026 is the year that the Mitsotakis government will seek a new Pedagogical and Social Agreement for the school of 2040," emphasizes Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki, in an article in Sunday's Eleftheros Typos, and notes the following:
Through a broad national dialogue for a modern, reliable National Baccalaureate, with rules, transparency and equality. So that the Lyceum can once again become the heart of education.
Dialogue with open processes, documentation, public accountability and the goal of reaching commitments that will stand the test of time.
Let's talk honestly about what didn't work.
Let's preserve what they achieved.
Let's finally agree on a common core of quality and justice that will not change with every government.
With a plan, duration and responsibility, we invest in the knowledge, cohesion and potential of each child.
Because Education is not a temporary policy.
It is a national choice with a horizon for tomorrow.
2026 is not just another year for education.
It is the point where a five-year journey gains depth, continuity, and clear direction.
At the Ministry of Education, we are working with a plan for a dual goal: a public school that opens doors for all children and an education that gives the teacher the tools and confidence to make a difference in the classroom.
At the same time, this school year was a milestone for Special Education: 3,196 permanent appointments of teachers and 993 special education staff, 1,200 new organic positions of psychologists and social workers and 366 permanent school nurses are now in our schools.
We created 8 new school units, established 3,448 integration classes and expanded support networks to reach more children and families.
At the same time, with the "Marietta Giannakou" program, we upgraded the infrastructure in 33 special schools, while we strengthened special schools and KEDASY with modern digital tools.
In total, since 2020 we have made 8,930 permanent appointments in Special Education and 3,793 recruitments of special education and support staff.
At the same time, with the steady support of the Model and Experimental Schools, the establishment of 13 New Experimental Schools - with 9 that will operate from the next school year, in 2026 and 4 from the year after - as well as the creation of 22 new public Onassis Schools, the public education system is acquiring spaces for pedagogical testing and the diffusion of innovation.
Schools that are not aimed at a few, but function as quality laboratories for the entire system: for the student who wants to develop his or her potential, the teacher who is evolving, and the parent who is looking for a school that gives more learning opportunities to his or her child.
Technology, especially the responsible use of artificial intelligence, is becoming a tool for equality in practice.
A student on a small island will have the same opportunities as a student in the center of a large city.
With 39,000 interactive whiteboards in schools and 8,000 new ones where there are gaps, with 117,000 robotics sets and new digital applications, the lesson becomes more creative, more experiential, closer to the world in which we live.
We are creating 13 Innovation Centers, modern, safe and accessible learning spaces.
We are equipping schools with technology, new laboratories, new sports equipment, and for the first time in 17 years, we are replacing old musical instruments in music schools across the country. You see, equal opportunity is not an abstract concept.
It is the space where the child sits at the desk. It is the ramp, it is the laboratory, it is the physics room, it is the yard.
It is the everyday life of the student. Teachers remain the central foundation of our educational policy.
This year alone, we have made approximately 10,000 permanent appointments and 44,458 temporary hires, while a total of 48,548 permanent appointments have been made since 2020.
Thus, stability gradually replaces chronic insecurity. At the same time, we systematically invest in training, from first aid to the prevention of school bullying, strengthening the role of the teacher as an agent of change in the classroom.