Children running around like “crazy” at the sound of the bell, this image from the distant 2016, when he operated on the territory of the Schistos school camp for several months, “haunted” Elena Karagiannis, a teacher and one of two refugee education coordinators in the structure in question. ” school for them, it was the big highlight of the day,” Ms. Karagianni describes, “the response was great, and the leakage in the early years was zero, as the education of children was a priority for parents as well. According to them, that was one of the reasons they wanted to grow them in Europe.” However, today the situation has changed. “Now we’re trying to get them out of their containers so they can go on a trip,” she says bitterly. “Kindergarten operates within a structure that includes preschoolers and toddlers, primary and secondary school children attend school outside the camp, they also have the right to attend a reception class for teaching Greek,” he explains.

Climate change is explained by many factors. “The pandemic intervened and quarantine, which here had much stricter rules,” says Ms Caragianni. “Remote learning hardly works – be aware that there is no Wi-Fi signal in most parts of the building, even in my own office I work using data from my mobile phone.” This period influenced not only the development of students at the cognitive level, but also at the psychosocial level. “We are trying to motivate them to continue, and now we are facing serious flaws in the system,” he notes. “Inclusive classes are covered by substitutes, who are often enrolled as late as December, and a little later they can move to another school full-time.”

There is also a problem with the interruption of the ESTIA program, as “many families are faced with homelessness and absolute poverty.”

However, the greatest enemy of children in Schistos is obedience. “There are families here who live for 6-7 years, unaware of what dawned on them, constantly waiting for a response either from the asylum service or from a distant relative,” she says. “Parents are bogged down and it affects the whole family who can’t make any plans for the future.” During the pandemic, many families left, but a little later, families from cities moved to Schistos due to the suspension of the ESTIA program. “These children, having experienced life in the city, were more socialized and spoke Greek much better, but gradually they also lost their appetite.”

Many times on the way to the Ritson camp, Pepi Papadimitriou, the education coordinator, meets his students walking a distance of 20 kilometers – a distance that separates the structure from the nearest city, Chalkis. “One of our students at EPAL complained to me, ‘I’m going to meet my girlfriend, ma’am,’ another father was returning from the hospital with his daughter,” Ms Papadimitriou describes. They were transported by EKAV on an emergency basis, but after being discharged, they were not entitled to transportation, and they had no money for a taxi. “One of our biggest problems is isolation, as there is no public transport. says Mrs. Papadimitriou “K”.. “For our kids, going to school is the only way to get out.” However, in order for them to “attend” the school, it is necessary to staff the reception class and complete the tender for their transportation by bus from Ritsona to Chalkis – procedures that are not always completed on time. “Children can’t participate in daytime activities, school holidays,” she notes, who last weekend took over with her IX transporting two African students to the city for a football match. “They have a lot of talent, but they can’t watch workouts,” he explains. “Now that the school year is over, the kids literally have nothing to do. When asked once in the context of a scientific conference, they replied that “we will sleep all day to pass the time.”

Cristina Nomiku, one of two refugee education coordinators assigned to Piraeus for the first time this year, faces various challenges. “We are responsible for the students who live within the urban structure, on the borders of Piraeus, which includes many individual districts and islands,” she explains. “These are children who live with their families or unaccompanied children who live in hostels.” Until recently, students living in cities had the most opportunities for socialization and personal development. “However, the expiration of the ESTIA program has dramatically changed the situation,” she emphasizes with concern. “Many families face homelessness and absolute poverty, they are looking for a way to survive.” In this climate, education seems more like a “luxury”. She herself tries to build communication bridges with families and communicate the needs and gaps of the system to decision makers. in Piraeus, According to “K”39 reception classes are needed, and only seven are working.