Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Minister of Administrative Reform Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou signed the hiring of 10,500 permanent school teachers.
Following the signing, Minister of Education, Research & Religious Affairs Kostas Gavroglou sent a request to the state hiring agency (ASEP) to begin immediately all necessary procedures.
Teachers will fill positions in primary and secondary education.
According to state-run news agency amna, 5,250 teachers will be initially hired for the 2020-21 school year and 5,250 teachers for the 2021-22 school year.
Opposition media critized the government saying the hiring is taking place “in front of the ballot box.”
Minister Gavroglou dismissed the claims telling state broadcaster ERT TV on Wednesday morning that the hiring of 4,500 teachers for school year 2019-2020 was already included in the budget of 2019 and that the time consuming procedure has already concluded in May.
He stressed that the hiring of a total of 15,000 teachers for the next 3 years was announced after Greece exited the bailout program in August 2018.
