All learners in Greece have the right to express their opinion.
By participating in secondary school communities, learners acquire democratic citizenship skills. All learners in every class are members of the school community and have the right to participate in all general assemblies. They have the right to free speech, audit and vote and have a say on the agenda of all assemblies.
School councils participate in other council meetings, such as the teachers’ board or the parents’ council, on planning and evaluating educational output.
Learners are also represented in all partnerships with other bodies (like different schools’ communities and the school head, local government agencies, etc.), promoting learners’ decisions on issues of their interest.
Members of the youth parliament are selected from learners who have been involved in school community social activities. Youth parliament familiarises learners with democratic practices, involves them in contemporary needs and challenges, and opens schools up to the local community, helping the community to develop an active attitude to social issues.
Groups consist of learners in the first and second grades of upper-secondary school. Schools are selected by a combination of criteria and ballots. This ensures that schools of special interest are included, such as schools in remote areas of the country, special schools, intercultural schools and schools representing different parts of the country.
The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs & Sports has formed permanent cross-ministerial Working Groups to promote physical and digital accessibility across Greek schools. Representatives of the National Confederations of Persons with Disabilities, which involves parents of learners with disabilities, participate actively in the relevant committees.
At the school level, Interdisciplinary Assessment, Counselling and Support Committees have been established across the country. Parents and learners work closely with professionals to design and implement their individualised education plans and broader interventions.
On the socio-emotional level, a wide-ranging national awareness-raising programme aims to promote the voices of learners with disabilities and/or special educational needs. This includes producing and disseminating videos and games across schools and implementing conferences on relevant issues. Every year on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs & Sports organises events and calls for primary and secondary education school units as well as special education schools to organise awareness-raising actions pertaining to:
- the rights of learners with disabilities or/and special educational needs;
- the need to respect diversity;
- promoting equal opportunities in learning.
Permanent consultative committees have been established to provide parents’ representatives with the chance to design and monitor issues relating to physical and digital accessibility.
National legislation has made learner and parent participation in developing individual education plans obligatory. It has also established Centres of Support across schools.
Participation in wide-ranging events places the voices of learners, particularly those with disabilities, in the national spotlight.
Read more in the Voices into Action toolkit.