Walkouts disrupted some Greek schools and state hospitals Wednesday as students and teachers rallied for more public education funding, better facilities and less crowded classrooms amid high housing and energy costs.
Police estimated about 10,000 people attended the Athens rally, and demonstrations took place in other cities, Reuters reported. The outlet described the Athens gathering as peaceful and said protesters expressed solidarity with movements elsewhere in Europe over living costs and school conditions.
Separately, some primary teachers and state hospital doctors walked out over pay and staff shortages, Reuters reported. A previous EconoTimes report on the protests said the Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation called a 24-hour strike and OLME, the secondary teachers’ federation, held a three-hour stoppage. OLME has said secondary schools face a nationwide shortage of 15,000 teachers.
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said she was listening to students’ demands and acknowledged the strain housing costs put on families. She said ongoing projects for student residences and campus facilities are valued at more than €733 million ($823 million).
The demonstrations add pressure on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government ahead of elections in mid-2027, Reuters reported. It described a backdrop of stagnant wages, high rents and rising energy costs. Greece’s average monthly pay is €1,500 ($1,685), unchanged in nominal terms since 2009, while the buying power of many Greeks ranks near the bottom of the European Union, Reuters said.
Reuters said pay and education spending were reduced during the 2009-2018 debt crisis, as Greece received three international bailouts totaling about €290 billion. The country has since recovered from the crisis, but the current protests again put public education and household costs in focus.
ERT, Greece’s public broadcaster, reported student tent protests in Thessaloniki on Oct. 20, while Reuters reported an overnight tent protest in Athens before the march. Katia Koubousidou, head of a student union at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, told AFP that further demonstrations were planned, saying, “This will not be a one-off protest.”
