Schools opening on September 7 to make up for lost ground

The new school year will start earlier on September 7 instead of the 11th, which is the traditional date, in order to cover the material that was left out in the previous term after schools were closed to halt the spread of the coronavirus, the Education Ministry announced on Thursday.

Pupils are also advised to keep last year’s books.

The ministry scrapped its initial plan to open schools even earlier on September 1. Kathimerini understands that it opted to open them on September 7 due to financial considerations, as the later date will prolong domestic tourism. Moreover, it will also reduce the payment cost of teachers. With schools starting on the 7th they will have to start preparatory work on September 1.

If they were to open on September 1, teachers would have been called back to school within the last 10 days of August, and would be entitled to additional pay for that period.