Greek education reform debate

In mid‑July 2026 the centre‑left PASOK party convened a public forum in Athens to outline its vision for overhauling Greece’s education system. The event presented three thematic pillars – digital schooling and AI, measures to strengthen teachers and curb bullying, and proposals to increase university autonomy and amend the constitution – and featured speeches from party officials, academics and former prime minister George Papandreou.

By the end of July, the discussion had broadened into a nationwide debate. New policy ideas surfaced, such as granting recruitment points to substitute teachers who work voluntarily and allowing parents to evaluate teachers via SMS or online questionnaires. These proposals provoked strong resistance from teachers’ unions and criticism from former officials. Concurrently, the National Authority for Higher Education released detailed enrollment statistics for the 2024‑2025 academic year, highlighting the scale of higher‑education participation ahead of a planned reduction in student numbers slated to begin in 2026.