An intensive intervention program that involves compensatory classes was planned in November 2010 and has been implemented since then in the following locations, where there is an especially large proportion of children with irregular attendance and low performance at school:
- In the Xanthi prefecture, in the Droseró township. The classes take place at the KESPEM of Drosero;
- In the Rhodope prefecture, in the townships of Ifestos (Hephaestus or Kalkanca/Kalkándja) and Alan Kuyu. The classes take place at the 4th Minority Primary School and at the 7th public primary school of Komotini; and
- In the Evros prefecture, in the Avantos Street neighborhood (at the end of the street). The classes take place at the KESPEM of Alexandroupolis and at kindergartens of this area.
These compensatory educational interventions pertain to primary education (kindergarten and primary school). They include educational activities at KESPEMs, and at (Minority and public) schools attended by a large number of pupils from the aforementioned townships and neighborhoods. They take place at hours additional to the regular school schedule, and also during the summer vacation. The educational activities are conducted by teachers who have undergone training. The teachers utilize in their classes the materials produced by the Project and give emphasis on the use of technology. The interventions are organized and carried out in cooperation with the teachers and the administrations of the schools where they take place.
The 2010-11 School Year
The Project organized compensatory activities and classes at kindergartens (the 2nd, the 9th, the 10th, the 13th, and the 24th of Alexandroupolis) and at primary schools (the 7th and the 9th public, and the 4th Minority primary school of Komotini; the 2nd, the 15th, the 20th public and the 2nd Minority primary school of Xanthi; the 9th, the 11th, the 12th public and the Minority primary school of Alexandroupolis). In total, 705 pupils (male and female) took part in the activities.
The 2011-12 School Year
The activities and classes took place both at the schools and at the KESPEMs of Drosero and the Avantos Street neighborhood of Alexandroupolis. The number of pupils who registered for the classes and activities reached 478.
(Further information)
During the summer months the educational activities continued at the KESPEMs of Drosero and Alexandroupolis. The activities had 3 basic components:
- Greek language classes for primary school children;
- Preparatory classes for secondary school that were intended both for children that had just graduated from primary school, and for secondary school pupils who had to re-sit their exams to pass their grade (7th grade); and
- Pedagogical activities for pre-school age kids.
The 2012-13 School Year
In this school year, the Project continued the classes aimed at improving pupils' Greek language skills and at their educational support, at the KESPEM of Drosero and that of Avantos Street, at two primary schools (the 7th of Komotini and the 4th Minority primary school in Ifestos), and at five kindergartens of Alexandroupolis (the 2nd, the 9th, the 10th, the 13th, and the 24th).
The classes were intended for children of kindergartens and of all primary school grades. At schools, the classes took place after the end of the regular daily schedule. In total 574 pupils attended the classes.
The Project's compensatory activities in these areas were enhanced during the 2012-13 school year with the voluntary participation of 45 male and female students from the History and Ethnology Department of the Democritus University of Thrace. The students provided additional teaching support to pupils. The additional support classes took place at the KESPEM of Alexandroupolis in cooperation with the teachers, and in Ifestos at the building previously used as a municipal clinic. The classes in Ifestos, organized in cooperation with social workers who were also associates of the Project, took place on a daily basis in the afternoon hours (16:00 – 19:00) and were attended by about 30 secondary and high school pupils.
Finally, in Komotini, compensatory activities were also organized at the 12th primary school, in cooperation with the Education Counselor, the principal and the teachers of that school, and with the participation of student volunteers from the Department of History and Ethnology of the Democritus Univ. of Thrace.
The 2012-13 School Year
Throughout the 2013-2014 school year, a whole host of classes and activities were organized at the KESPEM of Droseró, in Xanthi. The classes that were offered to children were aimed at enhancing their Greek language skills and at improving their performance at primary school.
Parallel to these classes, educational interventions/actions took place at two primary schools, the 4th Minority Primary School of Komotini, in Ífestos (Hephaestus), and the 7th Public Primary School of Komotini, in Alan Kuyu, and at two kindergartens, the 24th and the 9th Kindergartens of Alexandroupolis. Children from the 13th, the 16th, and the 19th Kindergartens, upon the request of their parents, also joined in the educational actions that took place at the 9th Kindergarten.
In total, 184 children (93 primary school pupils and 55 pre-school kids) were enrolled in the classes that took place at the primary schools and the kindergartens. The Greek language classes and those aimed at improving children's school performance were given by 6 primary school teachers, 4 kindergarten teachers. There was a social worker and a "drama-in-education" specialist who supported the work of the teachers.
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The school year at the 4th Minority Primary School of Komotini and at the 7th Public School Primary School of Komotini through pictures.
The book that we wrote: The 7th Primary School of Komotini.
To mark the completion of the school year, small celebrations were organized at the schools. These celebrations included activities prepared by the children in cooperation with the teachers of the program, and, in some cases, the activities were presented or performed with the participation of the teachers of the morning (regular) classes, as well.
