History of the Greek school

The Greek School of Stockholm is an extracurricular school and was established in 1966-67 with the aim of teaching the Greek language, Greek culture, and history. The number of students was initially very small (around 15 children) and employed 1 to 2 teachers who came from the immigrant community. The number of students started to increase systematically, and by 1975 it reached 200 students. At the same time, the teaching staff increased and was strengthened by teachers who came from Greece.

In 1973-74, the first afternoon section of the school was established, which operated at Mariatorget. The Parent-Teacher Association was officially founded in 1976 with a seven-member council and statutes, and at the General Assembly of members held in 1978, the basic principles of the school's operation regarding teaching staff, teaching materials, and school hours were formulated. The principles were:

• The teachers who will teach at the school will come from Greece, and their stay will be for a period of three years (later extended to five years).
• The teaching materials should be the same as those used in Greece.
• The school's activities will take place during free time, allowing the children to attend without interfering with their attendance at the Swedish school.

In 1978, when these decisions were made, there were already departments for mother tongue language in the Swedish school with teachers from the Stockholm Academy, but they were integrated into the schedule of the Swedish school. Children who wanted to attend mother tongue language classes had to miss another subject.
Το Σου­η­δι­κό κρά­τος έχο­ντας ανα­λά­βει την ευ­θύ­νη για την εκ­μά­θη­ση της μη­τρι­κής γλώσ­σας με την μορ­φή ενταγ­μέ­νων τμη­μά­των, δυ­σκό­λε­ψε κατά και­ρούς τη λει­τουρ­γία του σχο­λεί­ου μας μή επι­τρέ­πο­ντας τον ερ­χο­μό εκ­παι­δευ­τι­κών από την Ελλά­δα.

Eventually, after many protests and demonstrations by parents, an agreement was reached between Greece and Sweden that would allow for the arrival of 20 teachers from Greece. However, the 20 teachers did not meet the needs of the free-time schools that were now operating throughout Sweden, so the local associations of parents and guardians of the free-time schools were forced to hire hourly-paid teachers from within Sweden. Naturally, the association was burdened with the cost of the hourly-paid teachers as the financial resources came solely from the annual membership fee that members had to pay.

Gradually, the increase in the number of teachers seconded from Greece began to meet the school's needs until 2012 when Greece's economic crisis led to a significant decrease in the number of seconded teachers. As a result, the school had to once again partially cover its needs by hiring hourly-paid teachers from Sweden starting in 2012.

However, despite the economic difficulties in Greece, our school is strengthened with seconded teachers, detailed programs, books, and educational materials from the Greek Ministry of Education through the Coordinator's Office for Education in London at the Greek Embassy in London (SEl Office). Additionally, our school collaborates directly and effectively with the SEl Office on educational matters, teacher training, examinations for the State Certificate of Attainment in Greek (Ellinomatheia), and more.

Our common goal is the smooth and effective operation of our school.