European Trade Union Committee for Education

On September 10th 2016, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair that 115 million euros additional funding would be provided to humanitarian organisations operating in Greece to help improve living conditions for refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in the country.

This additional funding adds up to the 83 million euros the European Commission had already provided earlier this year to international organisations and NGOs, to address the most pressing humanitarian needs in Greece, including primary health care, shelter, improved hygiene conditions, psycho-social support, as well as informal education and safe spaces for children and women. As agreed between Commissioner Stylianides and Greek Alternate Minister for Migration Ioannis Mouzalas, this new funding support will focus on four set priorities among which include refugee children’s access to education.

As ETUCE has stressed in its statement on Refugees and Education, education is essential to Refugee children as it helps marginalised children and young people to get back on their feet, lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully in communities and society with a view of building a better future. This new funding support is a step in the right direction, and could help to improve educational facilities for refugee children in Greece.

More information on this new EU’s emergency support can be found here.