By 2025, public education in the performing arts at the university level will be organized in Greece, he emphasizes in his post on facebook Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakiswhile explaining that the CiO, which has caused concern and outrage among artistsdoes not regulate or change the way public sector artists are hired or paid for artistic or educational work.

As the prime minister announces, legislation is being introduced that expressly excludes the employment of artists in the public sector from the presidential decree, so there is no doubt that the intention of the government is to support and improve, not to degrade the sector.

“For this reason, we are immediately taking another step: we are clarifying the salary landscape for artists so that it is clear to everyone that they are exempt from ASEP and are paid differently. Therefore, in order to correct the failures and errors that have been observed over time in the OTA, we are legislatively extending to municipalities the obligation to use a special pay fund, and not a uniform wage fund, so that our artists are hired and paid in a fair way that recognizes the particular nature of the artistic profession. emphasizes Mr. Mitsotakis.

And concludes: “This is the obligation of our government:

1) By 2025, public university courses in the performing arts.

2) Direct legislation on the fair remuneration of artists in the public sector.

3) Protecting and ensuring the academic, professional and salary rights of artists.

This is a comprehensive project that modernizes and reforms our education system and cultural sector. This is a project that starts today and will be completed within the next four years of New Democracy rule.”

“The following paradox is happening in our country: proud of our great and centuries-old history of theatre, dance and music, here in the land of the muses we do not have and never had a university education in the performing arts.

Of course, in Greece there are high-level public schools, the Drama Schools of the National Theater and the State Theater of Northern Greece, the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, the State School of Orchestral Art, the School of Dance of the National Opera. It also has high-level historical private schools such as Conservatory Athens, Drama School of the Art Theater named after Karolos Koun and many others.

But until today, performing arts education has been disconnected from the rest of our country’s education system. Of course, universities have faculties of theater and musicology, but they have a different focus.

This lack of communication over the years has caused distortion and uncertainty among students, graduates and performing arts professionals in terms of their academic and professional rights and is the source of many artists’ reactions to the recent presidential decree 85/. 2022, regulating the qualification requirements of all branches for admission to administrative positions. -and No artistic public character.

We listened attentively to the protests of the artists, talked, consulted. And I want to be clear: PD 85/2022 did not cause this perpetual pathology, but it did, once again, spark an intense public debate on the subject.

This government, as in many other matters, will not pass the problem on to another. We are determined to provide clear solutions and answers so that our country can acquire a modern performing arts education system.

The Ministry of Culture has already begun in 2021, in cooperation with our public schools, the necessary preparatory work. And today we are taking the next step by fulfilling a multi-year requirement:

We are now developing a roadmap that will lead our country to a public university education in the performing arts by 2025. We also continue to evaluate conservatory education, the basis of music education in Greece, as aedial education in our country is still regulated by the Royal Decree of 1957.

We are establishing three inter-ministerial working groups, one on theater and drama, one on dance and one on music, with the participation of, inter alia, the general secretaries of the ministries of education and culture, bodies such as the National Authority for Higher Education, the principals of our public schools, with participation of famous artists from all three types of performing arts, and, of course, in wide and regular consultations with the representative department and student unions.

This is the first time that a government has taken such a step, proving by actions, not desires, our determination to find a solution to a problem that has been brewing for decades.

With regard to the Presidential Decree, which has caused concern and excitement among artists, I would like to assure that the DP does not regulate or change how artists are hired or paid in the public sector for artistic or educational work. The Government undertakes that the PD does not affect the academic, professional and salary rights of artists, nor does it lead to any changes in their legal and financial terms. But we are taking one more step to put an end to this misunderstanding. We are working on a regulation that explicitly excludes the employment of artists in the public sector from the presidential decree, so that there is no doubt that our intentions are to maintain and improve, not to degrade the sector.

For this reason, we are immediately taking one more step: we are clarifying the salary landscape for artists so that it is clear to everyone that they are exempt from ASEP and are paid differently. Therefore, in order to correct the failures and errors that have been observed over time in the OTA, we are legislatively extending to municipalities the obligation to use a special, rather than a uniform pay fund, so that our artists are hired and paid in a fair way that recognizes the character traits of the artistic profession.

This is our government’s commitment:

1) By 2025, public university courses in the performing arts.

2) Direct legislation on the fair remuneration of artists in the public sector.

3) Protecting and ensuring the academic, professional and salary rights of artists.

This is a comprehensive project that modernizes and reforms our education system and cultural sector. This is a project that starts today and will be completed within the next four years of New Democracy rule.”