Plan to increase role of sports in school education

Aiming to further familiarize children with sport and well-being, the Education Ministry plans to introduce physical education in kindergartens, while its hours in primary and secondary schools are also set to increase.

An Education Ministry official told Kathimerini that “after the pandemic and the periods of quarantine, it has been observed that children exercise less and do not choose physical activities.”

Sports schools are also returning to Greek education, but in a different context compared to the past. Sports schools had been abolished in 2011 after almost 30 years of operation and their more than 12,000 students were absorbed into other schools. 

The plan envisages the creation of a sports middle and high school in each of Greece’s 13 regions. The admission criteria will be the progress of each candidate in sports and their performance.