Hundreds of schools closing: the crisis threatening Europe
The primary school on the Greek island of Kalamos will close temporarily next year, after only two pupils remained in the sixth grade. The island, home to 80 people, joins a broader trend in Greece: 75 schools have closed and more than 400 other educational institutions have suspended classes, against the backdrop of a sharp decline in births and an ageing population.
The primary school on the Greek island of Kalamos will close temporarily next year, after only two pupils remained in the sixth grade. The island, home to 80 people, joins a broader trend in Greece: 75 schools have closed and more than 400 other educational institutions have suspended classes, against the backdrop of a sharp decline in births and an ageing population. The school's principal, Chrysa Ntalaka, said teachers want to come and teach on the island, but there are not enough pupils there. The few remaining high-school students on Kalamos must cross the Ionian Sea every morning to study at schools on the mainland, and miss classes on stormy days. A twelfth-grader living on the island told AP that he loves the place but sees leaving as an unavoidable step given the lack of future opportunities. According to OECD estimates, Greece's population will shrink from 10.5 million people to eight million by 2050. On the Italian island of Stromboli, a school reopened after 20 years with a single pupil. Croatia has invested 4.6 billion euros in developing kindergartens and renovating primary schools in similar areas. Europe's fertility rate stands at 1.34 children per woman, below the 2.1 threshold required for population stability. In Greece the rate is even lower, below 1.25. The European Union has announced it will formulate a strategy to cope with population decline on islands.