Observatory News Bulletin: Parents’ protest in Chios against the Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFRE) in the island’s schools (Updated 8 November 2018)

The Observatory of the Refugee and Migration Crisis in the Aegean presents a collection of articles from the Greek (local and national) press, and announcements from various political, social and educational fora, in reference to a letter of protest, signed by over a thousand parents in Chios, opposing the operation of Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFRE) in schools.

The collection includes the following sections:

Introductory text from the Observatory
Letter of protest
Articles from the Greek (local and national) press
Announcements in political, social and educational venues
Links to published audiovisual material

1.INTRODUCTORY TEXT

On September 12, 2018, more than 1,000 parents and guardians of students attending schools in the Prefecture of Chios sent a letter of protest to all school principals and other educational and political authorities on the island, stating their opposition to the operation of Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFRE) inside the island’s school units. As an alternative they proposed the operation of such facilities within the geographical limits of VIAL refugee camp.

The operation of Reception Facilities for Refugee Education (RFRE) was established in October 2016 (as a result of joint ministerial decision taken by the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Finance – for more see ΦΕΚ 3502/τ.Β/31-10-2016 and ΦΕΚ 2985/τ.Β/30-8-2017). As early as spring 2016, the Ministry of Education set up a special scientific committee that drew up a plan for all levels of education. The plan aimed at getting children and adolescents out of camps and integrating them into the school environment. Only the kindergartens set up within the RFRE context were left to operate in camps, in order to facilitate the attendance of younger children. Working to support the integration of children in formal education, transitional steps and actions were planned (the school year 2016-17 was itself defined as a transitional year) and Refugee Training Coordinators were appointed in the camps and other hospitality facilities.

There have been significant difficulties in implementing the inclusion of children in school as a key step in refugees and migrants’ integration into Greek society, especially at the beginning of the school year 2016-17. In several regions (such as Filippiada, Oraiokastro Thessaloniki and Neo Ikonion of Perama, Attica), xenophobic groups took action through certain parents' associations and attempted to turn issues of refugees’ integration in schools into a field of political conflict. However, the results of such mobilizations were limited. Educational institutions and providers, local authorities and, in many cases, teachers, pupils and parents of particular schools welcomed refugee children and migrants in the afternoon classes and in morning Reception Classes, which at the same time functioned in areas designated as Educational Priority Areas (for more see also the report of the Special Committee of the Ministry of Education for the years 2016 and 2017).

A crucial moment regarding the reactions against the presence of refugee children in schools was an appeal made by individual parents and parents' associations to the Council of State, with which they requested the cancellation of decisions referring to the operation of RFRE in certain primary and secondary schools in Central Macedonia, Attica and Central Greece in 2016 -17. However, in March 2018, the appeal was dismissed in court. According to the court decision the latter was inadmissible because of the lack of any legitimate interest (for more see http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/ekpaideyste-ta-prosfygopoyla).

In the islands of the Eastern Aegean, the operation of the RFRE was postponed by a year. In 2017-18 kindergartens operated in camps, while afternoon classes of RFRE in schools started rather late. More specifically, they operated initially in Lesvos in April 2018, and are scheduled to operate in the rest of the islands during the current academic year 2018-19. However, as early as 2016-17, in Lesvos, Samos, Chios and other islands, the Reception Classes were successfully run with the participation of refugee and migrant children in elementary schools, high schools, as well as in adult evening classes and at the Vocational Lyceum. Individual reactions, stemming in particular from some parents 'associations, did not have any significant impact, due to the immediate actions taken by educational institutions (see, for example, in Lesvos the mobilization of the parents' association of the 8th Primary School of Mytilene against the registration of 8 children living in the hospitality structure of PIKPA).

The act to collect signatures from parents in Chios, as a way to oppose the operation of RFRE within school units, was organized a few days before the beginning of educational activities for refugee children residing in the island's camp. It is also accompanied by an act to create "parent committees" in each school, which will manage all issues relating to the education of refugee children. The protest letter was communicated by bailiffs as an extrajudicial act addressed to the Ministry of Education, to all local authorities, and the Association of Parents and Guardians of Chios. All the above actions generated a significant reaction from various political, social and educational agents of the island and were discussed widely. It may be worthwhile to debate the parents' protest in Chios in connection with the recent decision made by the Council of State, to which we have already referred.

2. LETTER OF PROTEST

Γονείς και Κηδεμόνες μαθητών των σχολικών μονάδων του

Νομού Χίου

Χίος 82100 Χίος, 12 Σεπτεμβρίου 2018

Προς:

Διευθυντές Σχολείων Α΄βάθμιας και Β΄βάθμιας εκπαίδευσης Ν. Χίου
κ. Προϊστάμενο Πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης Ν. Χίου
κα. Προϊσταμένη Δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης Ν. Χίου

ΚΟΙΝΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ :

κ. Υπουργό Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων
Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Έρευνας και Θρησκευμάτων - Αυτοτελές Τμήμα Διαχείρισης Συντονισμού και Παρακολούθησης της Εκπ/σης Προσφύγων
Βουλευτή Χίου κ. Ανδρέα Μιχαηλίδη
Βουλευτή Χίου κ. Νότη Μηταράκη
κ. Αντιπεριφερειάρχη Χίου
κ. Δήμαρχο Χίου
κ.Περιφερειακό Διευθυντή Εκπαίδευσης Β.Α. Αιγαίου
κ.Σύμβουλο Εκπαίδευσης
κ.Πρόεδρο Δημοτικής Επιτροπής Παιδείας Χίου
Ένωση Συλλόγων Γονέων και Κηδεμόνων Χίου

Θέμα: Δομές Υποδοχής και Εκπαίδευσης Προσφύγων (ΔΥΕΠ) και Ζώνη

Εκπαιδευτικής Προτεραιότητας (ΖΕΠ)

Γνωρίζουμε όλοι ότι :

Είναι ο τρίτος χρόνος τώρα, που τα νησιά του Ανατολικού Αιγαίου δοκιμάζονται από την προσφυγική - μεταναστευτική κρίση και τα προβλήματα δείχνουν να μεγαλώνουν αντί να λιγοστεύουν. Εμείς, οι κάτοικοι των νησιών αυτών, είμαστε εκείνοι που έχουμε επωμιστεί σχεδόν όλο το βάρος αυτής της κατάστασης, κάτι που δεν φαίνεται όμως να θέλουν να κατανοήσουν σε πρακτικό τουλάχιστον επίπεδο, οι ιθύνοντες.

Για όλους μας είναι απολύτως σεβαστό το δικαίωμα των παιδιών των μεταναστευτικών πληθυσμών στην εκπαίδευση και υποχρέωση του Κράτουςμας (χωρίς τη συμμετοχή ΜΚΟ) να το κάνει πράξη. Είναι όμως ο σχεδιασμός του υπουργείου σωστά μελετημένος σε όλες τις παραμέτρους του και τέτοιος που να λειτουργήσει το εγχείρημα υπέρ όλων των παιδιών;

Απάντηση δίνει η μέχρι τώρα ασυνέπεια σε όλο το φάσμα διαχείρισης του μεταναστευτικού, η χαώδης απόσταση ανάμεσα στις κατά καιρούς εξαγγελίες και υποσχέσεις και τα αποτελέσματα αυτών, καθώς και η υποχρέωση μας ως γονείς και ως πολίτες , που μας οδηγεί να επισημάνουμε τα κακώς κείμενα τα οποία εντοπίζουμε. Η εξέλιξη και η παγίωση που έχει λάβει το όλο πρόβλημα του προσφυγικού και μεταναστευτικού, μας κατέστησε ορθολογικούς και επιφυλακτικούς. Read more>>>

3.ARTICLES FROM THE GREEK (LOCAL AND NATIONAL) PRESS

Χίος: 1130 γονείς ζητούν με εξώδικο τη μη λειτουργία Δομών Εκπαίδευσης προσφύγων στα σχολεία │kathimerini.gr │4 October 2018

Απαράδεκτο εξώδικο κατά προσφυγόπουλων στη Χίο │efsyn.gr │4 October 2018

Ποιος μπορεί να αγνοήσει τους 1.100 γονείς; │politischios.gr │4 October 2018

Εξώδικα γονέων και αντίκρουσή τους από φορείς για τους μαθητές-προσφυγόπουλα στη Χίο │ ΕΡΤ | 5 October 2018

«Είτε διδάσκουμε ελληνόπουλα είτε προσφυγόπουλα, για μας είναι παιδιά του ίδιου Θεού, της ίδιας ζωής» │ thepressproject.gr │6 October 2018

Στόχος την Πέμπτη τα προσφυγόπουλα να πάνε κανονικά στα σχολεία │politischios.gr │9 October 2018

Μετά το ρατσιστικό εξώδικο κάλεσαν και την αστυνομία│efsyn.gr │10 October 2018

Κατά πλειοψηφία «ναι» στις Δ.Υ.Ε.Π. με διαρροές στον συνδυασμό Βουρνού | politischios.gr │10 October 2018

Αγκαλιά και χαμόγελα για τα προσφυγόπουλα που ξεκίνησαν σχολείο | ΕΡΤ Αιγαίου | 15 October 2018

Επεισόδια στο 5ο δημοτικό σχολείο Βαρβασίου από την επιτροπή των ανωνύμων | astraparis.gr | 8 November 2018

4. ANNOUNCEMENTS IN POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL VENUES