EU support helps 2,500 refugee and migrant children attend Greek schools

The European Commission has funded a special education programme that has helped 2,500 refugee and migrant children get back to school in Greece. The project is carried out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which receives funding from the EU's Emergency Support Instrument.

"Giving refugee children an education is one of our priorities with our EU support in Greece. Thousands of children are being given a chance for a better future. The European Commission is committed to working in close collaboration with the Greek authorities and humanitarian organisations to continue to improve the conditions of refugees and migrants in the country," said Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Following the adoption of a new legal framework by the Greek Parliament in August 2016, access to education for refugee children of school-going age has improved significantly. Through the IOM project, the Commission is helping the Greek authorities by co-financing the transport of children to schools and the distribution of school kits with a total of 2.8 million euros in EU Emergency Support. This comes on top of other support to informal education activities to over 9,000 refugee children in Greece. The total amount of overall EU support for managing migration in Greece currently stands at over 1 billion euros.