For the first time in 16 years, the school bell rang again on the remote Aegean island of Pserimos. Laughter and children’s voices filled the courtyard as students, parents, and locals gathered for the opening ceremony. Visitors from Kalymnos and even Athens joined, standing in solidarity with the islanders.
The spotlight was on two bright-eyed cousins, Taxiarchis and Eleftheria, who eagerly watched their new teacher, Athina Schina. Recently appointed, Schina sees her role not only as an educator but as a lifeline for the island: “If the school hadn’t reopened, families might have left. This way, Pserimos keeps its heart beating,” she said.
The island currently counts only 25 residents. Schina knows that the true test will come in winter, when isolation deepens. Yet, she remains hopeful, urging authorities not to forget Pserimos once the headlines fade: “Support must last through the year. These children should never feel abandoned.”
Struggles and Hopes
Local parents share mixed feelings. Some, like Sakellaris Mavros, whose son Panormitis now attends kindergarten, see the reopening as a victory for community persistence: “We closed the school, and now we reopened it. Once, it had 100 students. Now, it starts again with just a few—but it lives.”
Others, like Nomiki Xyloura, voice frustration at the lack of state support: “Almost everything relied on our own efforts and donations. We even considered paying for the teacher’s housing ourselves.” Still, leaving the island was never an option.
Silence in Arki
While Pserimos celebrates, another small island tells a different story. The school of Arki, (Arkoi), once symbolic of resilience, has shut its doors after its last pupil, little Angelos, moved with his family to to the island of Lipsi to attend middle school.
For years, Angelos carried the Greek flag alone on national parades, played basketball by himself, and attended school festivities without classmates. His parents, with “heavy hearts,” chose to leave, believing he deserved a chance to grow alongside peers.
Arki, with just 30 permanent residents, now fears a future as a “summer-only” island. Its historic school, once an emblem of education in remote Greece, has closed indefinitely.
A Wider Crisis
Arki’s closure is not an isolated case. Across Greece, 714 schools failed to open this year due to a lack of students, a stark reminder of the country’s deepening demographic challenge. While Pserimos offers a story of hope, the broader trend reveals a system under strain—one where education in the most remote corners risks disappearing altogether.
