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Students and teachers in Greece are protesting on Thursday for public education funding and better conditions

Riana Gegiu

5 November 2026, 13:54

International

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Students, student associations and teachers are organizing demonstrations across Greece on Thursday, calling for increased funding for public education and improved conditions in schools and universities.

In Athens, protesters gathered at 11:00 a.m. in front of the main building of the University of Athens, on Panepistimiou Street, for a rally dedicated to defending free public education.

The Federation of Secondary Education Teachers (OLME) announced a four-hour work stoppage, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., to allow teaching staff to participate in the protests.

OLME denounces the chronic underfunding of the system, staff shortages, inadequate school infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms. The federation maintains that current education policies are placing an ever-greater financial burden on families.

The organizers are calling for additional investment in education, healthcare and research and are demanding that these areas be prioritized over military spending. The demonstrations were scheduled to take place simultaneously in several parts of the country.

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Context: Protests in Greece over education have already begun and increased pressure ahead of the 2027 elections

Before the announced demonstrations, pupils, students, and teachers also took to the streets in several Greek cities on Wednesday, while in Athens approximately 10,000 people attended rallies, including in Syntagma Square. Students set up tents and organized an overnight protest, while protesters conveyed messages of solidarity with similar demonstrations in other European countries.

The protests disrupted the activity of public schools and hospitals, as some teachers and doctors went on strike. Pressure on the government led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also increased because the protests come ahead of the mid-2027 elections, while Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said she was taking the demands into consideration and announced projects worth more than 733 million euros for student housing and infrastructure modernization.