Over 100 teachers, education authorities and NGO representatives took part in the last School for All Academy at Lesbos, Greece.
On 26-27 March, in partnership with the Independent Department for the Monitoring and Coordination of the Refugee Education and the Regional Directorate for Education of North Aegean, the Schools for All team carried out the conference “Refugee Education: Investing in People, Investing in the Future” in Mytilene. The two-day Conference was held in the hall of the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy.
It became the last academy within the successful Schools for All project implemented by the EWC in 2019-2024 with the support of the EEA and Norway Grants with an aim to strengthen inclusion of refugee children in the Greek schools.
The conferences consisted of intense workshops for over 100 teachers, education authorities and NGO representatives. It was a unique event that brought together principals, teachers and educators from schools at the island of Lesbos, including teachers of reception classes and Greek reception facilities for refugee education, refugee education coordinators, as well as members of organizations who actively work with refugees. The island has for years been hosting millions of refugees and migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries in war or with severe living conditions, and inclusion of migrant and refugee children in education is still a major challenge in the country.
Over two days the participants discussed challenges that children with refugee experience are facing when entering Greek schools, as well as reflected on good practices and methods to create an inclusive environment in educational institutions. Through experiential learning activities, group work and discussion, participants had the opportunity to learn about EWC’s educational approaches and get introduced to the Handbook “31 Basic Activities” developed within the Schools for All project to help teachers be better equipped for working with diverse classrooms. Finally, the participants learned about relevant activities implemented in the schools at the island of Lesbos within the Schools for All project network.
During the conference, Secretary General of Primary, Secondary Education and Special Education of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport, local authorities and education officials, as well as representatives of organizations and international organizations had the chance to discuss issues related to the education of refugee children.
The Schools for All project has been implemented by the EWC in 2019-2024 with the support of the EEA and Norway grants with an aim to strengthen inclusion of migrant and refugee children in the Greek schools. It was carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and with the support of the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP).
The project was designed to implement the Council of Europe’s Framework of Competences of Democratic Culture through the whole-school approach, addressing the whole school community including teachers, students, parents and representatives of the local community. According to this approach, through active participation of all members of the school community in specially designed projects, as well as supported by experienced teacher trainers and mentors, schools develop a democratic and inclusive environment to foster respect and valuing diversity.
Through the project, 125 schools with reception classes have become more inclusive and better prepared to receive migrant and refugee children, over 1900 teachers, educational coordinators, parents and students have been trained and actively involved in the school development projects, and the network of 45 highly skilled teacher trainers has been built around the country to support schools through training and mentorship activities. We have also managed to unite national and local organizations working with refugee and migrant children for joint discussions on inclusive education.
The project has contributed to the work of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports on inclusion of refugee children in the Greek educational system. In particular, a comprehensive Handbook “31 Basic Activities” was developed for all who work in the field of inclusion. This teaching and learning tool addresses the challenges of receiving students with refugee backgrounds in schools, and is developed for educators and professionals in the field. The Handbook was recommended by the Institute of Educational Policy in Greece for use in all the schools in the country.
Despite the official end of the projects, our participants continue to implement projects inspired and committed to transform their schools into spaces for inclusive dialogue and active democratic citizenship.