EDUC 499: Greece - Summer 2019’s Updates

4. Greece Financial Crisis

The financial crisis in Greece definitely affected their education system. Hearing about the broken economy in Greece, I never fully understood the effects it had on society; more specifically the education system and that connection. Multiple reforms at school and extra funding for universities weren’t available for these students. This public funding for schools was cut which not only affected resources in schools but affected the wages and contracts for administration and teachers. These wage cuts can affect the overall environment of the school because their job satisfaction may decrease. This also affected new teacher jobs.

The silver lining to this financial crisis is that some of these school reforms were to focus more on the students and their needs. In my opinion, this is more important because schooling should always be student centered. In one of the articles I learned about how immigrants were often blamed for the financial crisis. Teachers hold a strong responsibility to ensure these views are not reflected in the classroom. If they are reflected in the classroom, peers may view them differently which can create an unneccessary divide in the classroom. 

Reflecting on my own schooling and going to public schools I understand the importance of government funding. I also have observed the importance of this in my student teaching placements. This financial gap affects the resources available for students and their leanring. Even in areas when there is not a financial crisis, funding truly can change the experience of these students’ learning.