Galery

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In the beginning this was considered populism. Then it was journalistic exaggeration. However, the data are already ruthless. Last year's event with a starving student in a metropolitan school did not remain the only one. Four new cases of proven malnutrition - one in the town of Rethymno, on the island of Crete, and three cases in schools in Athens - were registered this year, without naturally being able to calculate the number of those who have similar problems, but which have not yet been demonstrated. Considering this new reality the Ministry of Education is taking action.

Starting from the new year a new type of free meals in the form of snacks will be offered by the schools in the country, in areas where there are large numbers of students from lower social strata, immigrants and gypsies. And of course, in areas in central Athens, the majority of which will take part in the new programme. Details of the programme are to be discussed in the following days.

According to some sources, the Ministry of Education will provide vouchers to students from areas with low economic and social indicators, using which they will be able to eat in the school canteens. Vouchers will be for the amount of about 2 or 3 euro, but with the money a student will be able to eat a sandwich and drink a juice or a glass of milk at school.

Evidence of recent weeks have shown that state ntervention is indispensable.

«A few days ago a student from the 7^th grade collapsed», says a teacher from the central Nicaea school. «Initially we didn’t know what was happening. We thought he was sick, but when we gave him orange juice to drink, he regained consciousness. Eventually the child admitted that he had not eaten anything since the morning because they had no milk at home. The student's father has been unemployed since last year, but we could not question him in great detail because we respect the problem and how difficult it is for him to share it with us».

Areas where the programme starts

This scene seems to occur often in schoolyards. Now many teachers talk about cases of famine in their schools. Some of them have even started actions by forming groups and committees to support the students and provide them with clothing or food. For the first time, however a programme for dealing with the problem has been launched at the central level.

The actions of the Ministry of Education will include programmes for the Educational Priority Areas (EPA), which will aim at supporting regions with students who need social and educational support. Kindergartens and primary schools in the area of ​​Tavros, "Vathis" Square, Eksarchia, Kato Patisia, Aharnon and other schools in Moschato, Nicaea, Zephyr and Avlona have already been selected to be included in the program.

«Our goal is to ensure equal involvement of students in the educational system in the areas with low education and socio-economic indicators», says Evi Christofilopoulou, Deputy Minister of Education, responsible for issues related to elementary and secondary education. «In these efforts, the school takes an active role for constructive cooperation with parents and educational institutions in the local community. This role is multifaceted, and this includes also the initiative to provide snacks in the schools from the EPA, particularly for those areas that are most needy», she continues.

Concerned teachers and volunteers

And the social services of the Municipality of Athens have received signals. As Mary Iliopoulou, director of the Home for babies deprived of parental care in Athens and also responsible for the municipal kindergartens shared with us, signals received lately are really disturbing. «Every day in the Home requests have been filed by the directors of Primary Schools across Athens to send them meals, as many children in the day schools do not bring food from home. We provide meals to 70 schools every day. We can cover some part of the schools, but they are certainly not many».

When asked what she suggests should be done to address these problems, Ms Iliopoulou replied that there must be some coordination between the institutions: «For example, many restaurants where food has been left over, can offer it. We should, however, be modest and humble in how we help others, because people have dignity».

«The cases of students who come to school in the morning and leave at lunch time without having eaten anything, or who do not have appropriate shoes for the classes of physical education are already encountered every day», says the teacher from a school in Ambelokipi, Dimitris Margiolis. «These are extremes, which represent only the tip of the iceberg in a situation that we experience daily. One can see how we are surrounded by the poverty of people who until yesterday had not even imagined that they would not be able to provide their children with the essentials. It is the duty of all of us to help», he concludes.

Three well known people remember

Milk, yellow cheese and butter ...

Writer Yannis Ksantulis finds in his memories similar scenes from his childhood. «I remember in the years around '54-'57 we were given at school free milk, some yellow cheese, and some very tasty Austrian butter. Our parents gave us a bag with our name on it, where there was a bowl for the milk and we went to school. That milk was really disgusting, I did not drink it, nor did I eat the cheese, I gave it to my classmates, who in turn passed it on to others. We played the game “broken phone” with this free food ...», he jokes.