Greece’s education sector faces an aging workforce, low pay, and heavy workloads as a new school year begins, according to a recent study by the KANEP center of the GSEE union.
Ministry of Education figures show 157,000 permanent teachers and 30,000 substitutes will welcome 1,381,000 students across 15,050 public and private schools. However, teachers under 30 account for just 1.4% of lower secondary and 1.6% of upper secondary staff, placing Greece last in European rankings. Conversely, over 57% in both levels are aged 50 or older.
In addition to severe age imbalances, teachers face low pay relative to EU averages and high stress. A GSEE study highlights that 31.8% work during free time and 48.7% report work-related anxiety. “Teachers are literally exhausted,” said a union official said.
Consequently, high school graduate interest in teaching degrees has collapsed.
