schools primary education (State kindergartens and primary schools), which will be a pilot in the 2022-23 academic year, a new, modernized full-day program until 17:30 (instead of 16:00, which was in effect until now), the education ministry said.

See detailed list here

As emphasized, for the selection of school units,take into account criteria such as the school’s student population, the number of students already enrolled in full-time education, and the number of active full-time departments.

“The purpose of the expanded free education program is twofold:

One side, Improving the quality of education for our children by:

• activities such as educational robotics, experimentation, rhetoric, safe and creative web browsing, sports, traditional or modern dance, visual arts, crafts and construction, learning to play musical instruments
• extra time for studying, studying and playing at school.

Secondly, family support, with:

• convergence of study and working hours of parents,
• more free, creative time at home, as studies will be completed at school,
• expansion of benefits for free education.

It is worth noting that the access of all students to the extended full day is free, without any participation conditions.

Parents will be informed about all the details of registering children for an extended full day in the first days of September and before the start of classes by the heads of school divisions.

Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Niki Kerameos, said: “Today we are announcing the school units that will be introducing an extended full-day school until 5:30 p.m. from the new school year. This new initiative has a dual purpose: on the one hand, to provide more and better supplies for our children by further modernizing free public education, on the one hand, to support working parents by achieving greater convergence between school hours and those of working parents. We are creating a school in the community where students express themselves creatively through new educational activities and spend more time at home. And with parents who can better fit into working life, enjoying higher quality benefits than free public education.”