Μake us preferred on Google Working parents across Greece can take up to four paid days off each year to attend their children’s school activities, a right that becomes especially relevant as the country heads into the final stretch before the new school year opens.
Public and private sector employees, whether full time or part time, are entitled to what is formally known as the School Performance Monitoring Leave. The right covers biological, adoptive, and foster parents, as well as surrogate mothers recognized under Article 1464 of the Greek Civil Code. It applies to each child up to the age of 18 who attends primary or secondary school, including kindergarten. For children with disabilities enrolled in special education programs run by the Ministry of Education, day care centers for people with disabilities, or creative activity centers for people with disabilities, there is no age limit at all.
The leave is set out in Article 38 of Law 4808/2021 and Article 240 of the Labor Code under Presidential Decree 62/2025. It entitles parents to be absent from work, without any reduction in pay, for up to four working days per calendar year for each child, in order to visit the school and monitor the child’s academic progress and general attendance.
Parents can use the days as full days off or break them into individual hours within a single day. The leave explicitly covers attendance at the school opening ceremony that marks the opening of the Greek school year, as well as school festivals, events, and scheduled meetings with teachers. According to a labor circular issued in 2021, the leave can also be used more broadly, allowing parents to raise or discuss issues related to a child’s schooling, behavior, or integration at school, and their interaction with other children.
If both parents are employed, they must submit matching sworn statements to their employers specifying which parent will use the leave, or, if they choose to split it, and the specific periods each will use. Combined, the two parents cannot exceed four days total per child in a calendar year. Employers are required to issue a certification confirming the leave was granted.
The leave is calculated separately for each child who is a student, is paid in full, and is not deducted from a worker’s regular annual leave or any other type of leave.
Schools for primary and secondary education open Friday, September 11, marking the start of the 2026 to 2027 academic year with the customary Agiasmos ceremony. As in previous years, students will receive initial instructions on how the school will operate, information about the schedule for the coming days, and their textbooks.
