Up to 95% of children with refugee and migrant background joined the country's education system during the 2021-2022 school year, according to available data from the Ministry of Education and Religions and UNICEF.

While the Greek education system is in the process of effectively responding to the urgent need to ensuring access to public schools for children from Ukraine, UNICEF announces that now, more than 16,417 children with refugee and migrant background have joined the country's education system.

Despite the extremely adverse conditions created during the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 16,417 refugee children are enrolled in the country's schools, 35% more compared to the same period last year. It is particularly important that 12,285 of them (75%) attended the country's Primary and Secondary schools last month (March 2022), proving that there is a potential for immediate and successful integration of children in the education system.

Significant progress in the field of refugee and migrant education was made with the launch of the program "All Children in Education" (ACE), from September 2021, a program implemented nationwide in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Religions, the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum and the support of the European Union. The program includes, inter alia, interpreting services in schools, lessons to help Greek language learning, psychosocial support services for students, empowerment of teachers through a comprehensive training program, development of educational tools, and support for parents through translated material for smooth access and integration of their children into the education system.

Finally, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Religions, UNICEF and the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum support the immediate and smooth integration of children from Ukraine into the Greek education system. This will be achieved through the provision of interpretation services in schools, of translated educational materials and of support courses for Greek language learning in 41 UNICEF Centers throughout Greece.

source: https://www.unicef.org/greece/