The challenges of refugees’ asylum-seeking journeys are not new to the public, but the difficulty of refugees’ integration into a new country is often underestimated. Despite the substantial EU funding and government programs, Greece never ensured refugee kids’ access to education and integration—reflecting a critical policy gap that amplifies inequality and social disintegration.

While the Greek government aims to provide educational opportunities for refugee children, their further integration into society remains precarious due to classism and racism. This is because the implementation of the policies appears to be deceptive and inefficient, eventually leading to a failure in providing immigrants employment opportunities, resulting in the perpetuation of cycles of poverty, cultural regression, and marginalisation. To break free from these cycles, there is an urgent need for the reform of tailored policies that focus on the legal protection of human rights and community integration.

In 2022, Europe saw approximately 150,000 to 200,000 registered asylum seekers from various countries, including nations such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, continuing a trend from the 2015 peak. As of the end of 2024, 123.2 million people had been forced to flee their homes due to wars, violence, and human rights violations. This means that 1 in every 67 people on earth has been forced to flee.

EU Funding and National Programs That Failed to Deliver

While Greece has committed to providing aid and resources to refugees, the reality on the ground tells us a different story. This is especially true when it comes to educational resources. 

The substantial amount of financial aid Greece received from the European Union (EU) was over €3 billion since 2015, which was one of the most expensive humanitarian responses in support of migration in history. Not only that, according to the United Nation Refugee Agency, each refugee is eligible for a monthly Cash Assistance of €150, while families with four or more members can receive €420 per month. 

Soraya was one of the Afghan women who fled from persecution and conflict to seek asylum in Greece. Like many other refugees, the hope that Europe will be a place of safety encourages Soraya, not just because of the tales of adversity, but the life changing initiatives set up in Greece, such as the community-led-women-friendly spaces, free education, job training and psychosocial support provided by the Greek government and International Rescue Committee.  Soraya also explained that she believes the life-threatening voyages across the Aegean Sea to Greece was worth it, because she can now utilise the resources, and opportunities to decide about her own future, and make a better future for her children, in a country where gender-based discrimination and violence are not as prevalent. This is also the reason why most of the refugees tend to have high expectations for life in Greece. The Greek government has been exposed to many migration and refugee experiences before. The church, local communities, medical societies and non-governmental organisations also have initiated good support for the refugee communities.

However, the influx of refugees has resulted in an immense strain on Greece’s resources, infrastructure, and social cohesion, and within this pressure, adequate support and assistance for refugees such as education and legal protection was not able to be provided by the Greek government. According to the Human Rights Watch, only 1 in 7 children who live in the Ritsona camp was able to attend school in 2021, even though the Ritsona camp is one of the biggest refugee camps in Greece, near the country’s capital city Athens. The lack of educational opportunities does not only occur to the children that live in refugee camps, but also to those who seem to be fully resettled in the cities. In Athens, there are two multicultural schools created by Greek anti-racists and immigrants with the government’s support. In the official school website, the statement in Greek addresses the education deficit, and their aim of providing refugee and immigrant kids a safe environment to integrate into the new educational system. However, according to George Koulouris’ article which addresses the concern regarding the poor teaching quality, substandard facilities, and chaotic school system prevent the schools from fulfilling their kind intention. This is due to the limited capacity of the two schools resulting in a significant portion of refugee children either being enrolled in mainstream public schools without knowing a word of Greek or being completely denied access to education. Unlike English, German, and Spanish, the Greek language is not a widely spoken language and it is extremely difficult to learn because of the limited learning materials that are available. The Greek government is aware that an efficient support program particularly focuses on language learning should be promoted among refugee and immigrant populations, however, the implementation was unsuccessful due to persistent delays in opening language classes. 

From Promises to Action: Practical Steps for Educational Equity

It's undeniable that the influx of refugees places pressure on Greece’s infrastructure, resources, and potentially job opportunities. However, Germany's successful integration of refugees sets a pragmatic example for Greece; by effectively integrating refugees into education and the workforce, Greece can anticipate a decrease in unemployment, a growing GDP, and a boost in population growth. 

The first step to achieve this goal is to value the critical role of education, as it directly impacts the population’s social integration, and it helps children to overcome the major daunting obstacles such as language barriers. In particular, the reformed policies should include opening Greek classes at school to promote language acquisition, and encouraging the use of diversity quotas in higher educational institutions and companies’ hiring processes. This will be done through the compulsory education law, which requires all refugee children to attend school regardless of their immigration status and gender. 

Such policies will provide refugee children with a greater opportunity of pursuing higher education, and serve as a fundamental approach to shift local students’ perception from viewing refugee children as the “care receivers” to seeing them as professional colleagues. 

Although it took time and effort, the feasibility of the integration policy has been proved in Germany, as in 2023, about than 54% of refugees in Germany were employed. A boost of employment will be essential to Greece—a country that is still recovering from its financial crisis, Greece’s GDP per capita is still far lower than it was just before the 2008 financial crisis, and similarly to Germany, Greece grapples with an ageing population and a persisting birth deficit. 

In conclusion, promoting the integration of refugees into society is not merely beneficial for the immigrant populations, it is also a crucial step for Greece’s economy, while obtaining the rewards of an enhanced social cohesion. Germany’s success sets a great example for Greece, showing how sustained investment in education and integration programs can transform refugee communities into active contributors to society. If Greece commits to meaningful reforms, it can not only fulfill its humanitarian mission but also strengthen its own economic future.

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