MINISTERY of education & EU links

24 may 2019 _ Maria Vafeiadou work now for the Office of régional direction Education of central Macedonia. She was a teacher with Martha in Menemeny Schools ("it created a strong link beetween each other"), and she is also a musician. Perfect for our project to meet her ! She explained to us what the greek Ministry is doing for Migrant & Refugees Pupils. Most of them arrived in Greece, the doors of Europe, by the east coast (by boat) or by the Turkish Borders, that's why there are a lot of migrants in and around Thessaloniki. It is a "Hosting Country" and "a step" in a migratory moving.

After they arrived, they are registered and they went to a Camp. After maybe to an appartement, if they didn''t leave before and if they are enough place. Special European Fund for this urgency exist to support NGO and Greek Gouvernement in the face of the massive arrival of migrants.

In 2016, Ministry of education create a new function with "teachers for refugee education" (25). Their role ? To be an educative coordinator into camps. They were trained (technics of coordination, Greek as a second language). Into camps, they registered children (5 to 15 years / 17 different countries / around 200 now) and they help them and their families to go to school closed to the camps (Max 10 km with bus). If there are no schools closed to the camp, they will go in NGO partners with class room program into the camp.

• Pupils who never went in Greek School are going first in "Afternoon reception classes" (2 to 6 PM / Classic classes finish at 1 PM)
• They learn Math, Greek, English, Art ...
• After one year (or less), they are going in "classic classes"

Greek is a difficult language. Not a usefull language for them, like english, french or german. The countries where they want to live. It is difficult for greek teachers to teach because migrant families stay 3 or 4 mont on average. "Some one get documents and disappear ... Education is the better way to integrate yourself ... We have good result when pupils start to learn in kindergarten (into Camps)".

For Maria, all the classes are intercultural. Even, if it recieves only greek pupils. Because each children is different, each kids has is own cultural background. So every teacher have to teach inside the diversity. They have to develop "new education, new materials, new support" to work in their classes. Many platform, many tools on line exist (Erasmus & EU project)

Thanks Maria for this 3 "EU toolkit" :

• WELCOME GUIDE 
• MEDITERRANEAN INCLUSIVES SCHOOLS 
• CIRCLE