The Challenge of Cultural Diversity in Greece: Reflections on ‘Intercultural Education Schools” (IES) Strategy for Creating Inclusive Learning Environments

Abstract

With the aim of contributing to the discussion on the role of education in societies experiencing significant levels of migration, this article focuses on the 'Intercultural Education Schools' (IES) established by the Greek State in 1996. Within a highly centralised educational system, IES were considered to be the answer to the need for educational and social integration of minority pupils, especially those who were immigrants. On the other hand, IES have been strongly criticised as marginalised school environments that have failed to manage diversity proactively. Drawing on different sources of data (e.g. interviews, questionnaires, school reports), this article attempts to illuminate the mission of IES, as well as their potential and constraints. The possible impact of IES on the formulation of appropriate strategies for combating educational and social exclusion is also discussed.

The Intercultural Aspect of Distance Education in Greece: A Case Study of Exploring Educational Leadership’s Representations During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…At the time of the study, 219 host classes within typical schools and 7 intercultural schools were active in Athens. As already mentioned, students attending these classes/schools are divided into 2 groups, according to their language level (Trouki, 2012). Therefore, the sample was determined, by using a purposive sampling technique and by choosing schools and/or classes where both groups had been formed before and co-existed during the quarantine (Creswell, 2011).…”

“…Intercultural education has been a subject of heated debate since it first appeared in Greece in the 1970s, when a great number of immigrant Greeks returned to the country to resettle (Trouki, 2012). The repatriation of these populations led to the creation of intercultural schools, where all students are immigrants and/or refugees, as well as to the creation of host classes within typical schools, where immigrant and/or refugee students are divided into two groups, according to their knowledge of Greek language and with a view to joining typical classes when they have reached the appropriate linguistic level (Palaiologou & Dimitriadou, 2013;Trouki, 2012;Paleologou, 2004).…”