The Hellenic Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs’ Directorate for Special Education hosted a series of transnational meetings in Athens, from 6 to 8 June 2018. The events were organised in co-operation with the Agency, and focused on two featured Agency projects, including the findings of a new synthesis report.
Greece is actively involved in the Agency’s Country Policy and Analysis (CPRA) project, which aims to map, analyse and support reflections on participating countries’ inclusion policies. The second project discussed during the meetings was the Financing Policies for Inclusive Education Systems (FPIES), which runs from 2016 to 2018. Its goal is to reduce disparity in education, by examining different educational funding policies, to develop an effective funding policy framework for inclusion.
On 7 June, the Agency held a whole-day validation meeting. It involved Agency Representative Board members or their representatives, the FPIES country partners and the partner ministerial representatives responsible for inclusive education in their countries, and participants from the Hellenic Ministry of Education. The Agency launched the project synthesis report entitled Resourcing Levers to Reduce Disparity in Education, as well as a draft Policy Guidance Framework and gathered feedback on it during the working sessions.
At the seminar on 8 June, participants were welcomed by the Deputy Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Mr Dimitris Baxevanakis. Participants included Ministry representatives, members of the committee for Education Finances, school directors and principals, representatives of the Greek National Confederation of People with Disabilities, and Agency project partners. They exchanged views regarding the challenges faced in the financing of education and the possibility of moving towards an inclusive model of service provision.
The seminar was closed by Professor Georgios Angelopoulos, Secretary General of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs.