Greece’s Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki, addressed the acceleration of staffing procedures for schools ahead of the new academic year, emphasizing the need for teachers to be in their positions before the first school bell rings.
Sofia Zacharaki: 30,000 substitute teacher hirings and housing support measures
Speaking on OPEN television, Minister Zacharaki announced that the first phase of hiring 30,000 substitute teachers will take place on September 1st, 2026, adding that this year’s permanent appointments had already been completed during August.
“We are trying to speed up the process, even by just a few days,” she noted, adding that efforts are being made to improve both the hiring procedures and housing conditions for teachers. “This is not a job for announcements or grand statements. It requires administrative work that begins back in October of the previous year in order for us to be running the hiring process at this point,” she said.
Minister Zacharaki also referred to inter-ministerial cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Ministries of Interior, National Defense, Social Cohesion and Family — with the aim of finding housing solutions, as in the cases of the municipalities of Agios Vasileios in Rethymno and Ithaca — as well as with the Ministry of Finance regarding rental reimbursements for teachers.
Two non-state universities to regain accreditation within the week
Regarding developments following the Council of State ruling on non-state universities, Minister Zacharaki stated that the law on non-state universities has “full constitutional recognition” and that two of the three rulings “related to entirely technical issues, which are currently being resolved,” such as certain assurances concerning building facilities.
“Within the week, following the approval of EOPPEP, two universities — Keele and York — will have regained their licenses,” Zacharaki said, adding that at the start of the following week, after a session of ETHAAE and once the issue of the Committee’s composition has been resolved, a third university will also regain its accreditation.
Furthermore, the minister noted that the most substantive element arising from the third part of the Council of State ruling concerns the regulatory act — namely the quality and personnel criteria assessed by ETHAAE. “At this point, the regulatory act is being enriched, and based on this updated regulation, the programs identified in the Council of State rulings will be re-evaluated. What does this essentially mean? That the programs are being re-evaluated and students can proceed with their enrollment as soon as it is announced that all programs across all three universities have been re-assessed,” she explained.
Finally, regarding the progress of the National Dialogue on the new high school curriculum, Zacharaki noted that the outcome cannot be prejudged, as beyond the sessions of the Independent National Committee, a broader consultation process with parents, students and teachers will begin in the coming period.
