#10 Everyone wants one!
European Schools are well established and much valued by people across Europe and the world. Ministries of Education are keen to secure new European Schools for their countries, and city authorities are eager to welcome them. (See, for example, this recent blog post by the Secretary-General of the European School system Kari Kivinen – especially the last paragraph.)
So why is the future of our own European School still uncertain? Are we in Greece less smart than people in the rest of Europe? Is Heraklion going to let go of something that other European cities are fighting to obtain?
We are lucky to have a European School in our city and country. Yet, over the years, the school has not been well supported at local or national level, and many in the SEEH community feel that they are ignored or even resented by their fellow townspeople.
But things are changing, I believe. I know that many of our current local politicians do believe in the school and recognize its potential. Perhaps we are at last ready to see the SEEH for what it is – not a foreign, supposedly elitist institution, but a neighbourhood state school with a European vision. It is a great asset to our city, something we need and can be very proud of. Are we at last going to pull together and agree to set the SEEH on a stable foundation, so that it can flourish and provide the many benefits that a European School can bring?
I hope we are. I hope we are going to wake up before it’s too late. If we don’t, we will look back with shame and regret for having thrown away a precious educational gift to our children – a gift that many others would love to have.
