# Greek education ministry exam issues and teacherappointments > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/greek-2026-national-examinations > Updated: 2026-09-07T14:46:40.000Z. Sources: 101. Developments: 22. The Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports has initiated a large-scale recruitment drive for substitute teachers for the 2026-2027 school year. The first phase, described as the largest first-phase recruitment in the last decade, filled 29,948 positions, including primary and secondary educators, special education specialists, and staff for Public Onassis Schools. While most permanent teachers and special educational staff were positioned in schools by September 1, 35 roles—primarily requiring Braille or Sign Language proficiency—remained unfilled. Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki has characterized the ongoing teacher shortages as a ‘structural issue’ and aims to reach a total of approximately 45,000 substitutes by the end of the year. To address remaining vacancies, a second phase of appointments is expected to take place by the end of September. Zacharaki noted that the ministry has secured the necessary credits through negotiations to support this expanded hiring plan. This recruitment effort extends beyond educators to include psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists to support student needs and ensure equal opportunities. To mitigate staffing gaps in remote areas, the government is considering various incentives, such as double credit scoring and the reimbursement of double rent costs for teachers working away from their permanent residences. However, the administrative process has faced technical setbacks. The digital platform anaplirotes.gov.gr, used by substitute teachers to complete their service assumption process, has experienced severe malfunctions. These technical issues, which were particularly acute during high-traffic morning hours, have caused distress for thousands of educators. Failure to finalize digital contract acceptance within mandatory timeframes risks the loss of salary payments and social security coverage. ## Claims - Applications for permanent teacher appointments in primary and secondary education opened on 5 August 2026. (corroborated by 11 sources) - Applications are submitted electronically via the Integrated Information System for Management of Primary and Secondary Education Personnel (OPS​YD). (corroborated by 8 sources) - The deadline for submitting applications is 10 August 2026. (corroborated by 6 sources) - The recruitment follows Ministerial Decision 103319/E1 dated 30 July 2026, published in Government Gazette 38/ASAP on 4 August 2026. (corroborated by 5 sources) - A total of 5,487 permanent teaching positions are being filled. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Circular 104912/E1 dated 4 August 2026 was issued to announce the applications. (corroborated by 4 sources) - Eligibility is limited to teachers listed in the final ASEP evaluation tables for the specified specialties. (corroborated by 4 sources) - The process aims to fill vacant organic positions in primary and secondary schools across Greece. (corroborated by 3 sources) - The positions are allocated as follows: 2,403 primary‑school teachers, 910 secondary‑school teachers, 92 secondary music‑school teachers, 309 primary special‑education teachers, 1,303 secondary‑school (corroborated by 2 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-07: Greece: Digital platform failure affects substitute teachers Technical failures on the anaplirotes.gov.gr platform have prevented thousands of Greek substitute teachers from completing their service assumption, risking delays in their salary and social security. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-digital-platform-failure-affects-substitute-teachers ### 2026-09-06: Greece Ministry of Education announces large-scale teacher recruitment Greece's Ministry of Education has announced the first phase of hiring 23,020 substitute teachers, with plans to reach 45,000 total recruits by year-end to cover school vacancies. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-to-begin-second-phase-of-substitute-teacher-hiring ### 2026-09-04: Greece to hire 45,000 substitute teachers by year-end Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki announced a second phase of teacher appointments in late September, aiming for 45,000 total substitutes by year-end to address school staffing needs in Greece. 18 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/kyriakos-mitsotakis-defends-education-minister-over-textbook-controversy ### 2026-08-31: Greece Ministry of Education announces 29,948 teacher recruitments The Greek Ministry of Education has announced the recruitment of nearly 30,000 substitute teachers and special education personnel for the 2026-27 school year to address staffing needs. 24 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-to-recruit-30000-substitute-teachers-for-2026-2027-school-year ### 2026-08-31: Greek Ministry of Education meets with teachers' federation The Federation of Primary Education Teachers met with the Greek Ministry of Education to discuss teacher assignments, specialized subject instruction, and unified transfer procedures. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-ministry-of-education-meets-with-teachers-federation ### 2026-08-26: Greece Ministry of Education opens teacher secondment applications The Greek Ministry of Education has opened applications for newly appointed teachers and their spouses to request secondments for the 2026-2027 school year via the OPSYD portal. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-ministry-of-education-opens-teacher-secondment-applications ### 2026-08-24: Greece appoints 4,789 teachers and 470 special education staff Greece has published official appointments for 4,789 teachers and 470 special education personnel, covering general education, music schools, and various specialized support roles. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-appoints-4789-teachers-and-470-special-education-staff ### 2026-08-22: Greece Ministry of Education announces appointment of 4,789 teachers The Greek Ministry of Education has announced the appointment of 4,789 new teachers, with swearing-in ceremonies scheduled for August 24–28, 2026. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-ministry-of-education-announces-appointment-of-4789-teachers ### 2026-08-11: Greece Ministry of Education announces 4,789 permanent teacher appointments Greece's Ministry of Education has announced 4,789 permanent teacher appointments across primary, secondary, and special education sectors, despite shortages in mathematics and science fields. 14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-ministry-of-education-announces-4789-permanent-teacher-appointments ### 2026-08-04: Greece launches applications for 5,487 permanent teacher posts Greece opened 5 Aug‑10 Aug applications for 5,487 permanent primary and secondary teacher posts via OPSYD, per ministerial decision 103319/E1 and circular 104912/E1. 14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greece-opens-permanent-teacher-appointment-applications-for-primary-and-secondary-schools ### 2026-07-31: Greek Ministry of Education Sets 2026 Repeat National Exam Centers Greece's Ministry of Education announced 2026 repeat national exam centres: Athens (5th GEL) and Thessaloniki (2nd GEL), with allocations by region and special‑needs sites, plus exam dates and subjects. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-ministry-of-education-sets-2026-repeat-national-exam-centers ### 2026-07-27: Greek Ministry releases 5,487 permanent teaching posts for 2025‑26 Greece’s Education Ministry announced the allocation of 5,487 permanent teaching positions for 2025‑26, detail­ing numbers across primary, secondary, special and music schools. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-ministry-releases-5487-permanent-teaching-posts-for-202526 ### 2026-07-22: Greek Education Ministry meets theologians on teacher appointments Greek education officials met with a theologians' group on 20 July 2026, urging transparent hires for permanent teachers and substitutes for 2026‑27, stressing proper staffing for Religious Education and Ethics 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-ministry-meets-theologians-on-teacher-appointments ### 2026-07-18: Greek Education Minister Athina Michailidou Pushes to Abolish Teacher Appointment List by July Greek Education Minister Athina Michailidou pledges to abolish the teacher appointment list, promising a balanced proposal by end‑July after extensive dialogue. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-minister-athina-michailidou-pushes-to-abolish-teacher-appointment-list-by-july ### 2026-07-15: Greek Exam 2026: Two EPAL Students Receive Perfect Scores after Paper Mix‑up In Greece's 2026 national exams, two EPAL candidates received GEL papers by mistake; the Ministry ordered a sworn review and awarded them maximum scores, noting no breach of exam integrity. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-exam-board-corrects-grading-error-for-two-vocational-school-candidates ### 2026-07-15: Greek Education Minister Sofia Zaharaki tours Lavreotiki schools and meets regional education supervisors Greek Education Minister Sofia Zaharaki inspected two schools in Lavreotiki after securing renovation funds and later met with Central Greece's regional education supervisors to discuss system improvements. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-minister-sofia-zaharaki-tours-lavreotiki-schools-and-meets-regional-education-superv ### 2026-07-14: Greek Education Minister Sofia Zaharakis Sets Timeline for Teacher Appointments and University Entrance Exam Results Greek Education Minister Sofia Zaharakis set July deadlines for university exam results and August deadlines for 5,500 permanent teacher hires and substitute recruitment, while noting a drop in substitute job‑s 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-minister-sofia-zaharakis-sets-timeline-for-teacher-appointments-and-university-entra ### 2026-07-10: Greek Education Minister Sofia Zaharaki Faces Resignation Calls Over Exam Scandal PASOK demands Education Minister Sofia Zaharaki resign after EPAL candidates took the same exam questions as GEL students, a breach hidden for 38 days and followed by perfect scores and a ministerial inquiry. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-minister-sofia-zaharaki-faces-resignation-calls-over-panhellenic-exam-scandal ### 2026-07-07: Greece's Education Ministry launches probe into EPAL exam irregularity Greece's Education Ministry has launched an administrative probe into a case where two EPAL candidates allegedly received reused exam papers, pledging to assign responsibility after a thorough review. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-education-ministry-launches-inquiry-into-epal-grading-controversy ### 2026-06-15: Greek EPAL Candidates Receive Answer Keys for 2026 Panhellenic Exams Greece posted EPAL answer keys and videos for the June 15, 2026 Panhellenic exams and detailed the upcoming special and music exam schedule. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-epal-candidates-receive-answer-keys-for-2026-panhellenic-exams ### 2026-06-11: Greek ESDA 32nd Introductory Competition Test Released The first stage of ESDA's 32nd Introductory Competition begins in a month; a 50‑question sample test covering knowledge and skills topics has been released to help candidates prepare. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-esda-releases-sample-50question-test-for-32nd-introductory-competition ### 2026-05-29: Greek EPAL candidates begin 2026 Panhellenic Exams with New Greek test EPAL students started the 2026 Panhellenic Exams with a three‑hour New Greek test on 30 May, following strict rules on items and essay topics, with experimental grading and further exams scheduled through June. 39 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/greek-prime-minister-mitsotakis-launches-aidriven-digital-government-initiative --- Cite as: Greek education ministry exam issues and teacherappointments. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/greek-2026-national-examinations