The new school year in Greece has begun under severe strain, with nearly 20,000 teaching positions left unfilled across the country. Instead of acknowledging systemic issues, the Ministry of Education has pointed to young female teachers taking maternity and childcare leave as a key cause of the shortages — a stance that has provoked outrage from educators’ unions.

Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki described the problem as “structural,” citing cases where newly appointed teachers immediately activated long-term leave entitlements. She highlighted regions where as many as one in three newly hired staff requested leave for reasons including pregnancy and childcare, leading to gaps in classrooms from the very first week of term.

Teachers’ unions, however, denounced the government’s stance as discriminatory and misleading. The Greek Federation of Secondary State School Teachers (OLME) accused the ministry of scapegoating women instead of addressing the deeper problem of chronic under-staffing.

“It is unacceptable to present new mothers as responsible for empty classrooms,” OLME said in a strongly worded statement. “This is a direct attack on working women who are simply exercising rights they are entitled to under the law.”

The union stressed that shortages stem from years of delayed hiring and limited permanent appointments, despite a reported budget surplus. According to OLME, the government filled only a fraction of existing vacancies, leaving schools to operate with massive gaps. By their estimates, the current shortfall translates into roughly 400,000 hours of lost teaching time each week.

Unions are calling for immediate measures, including a second wave of substitute teacher appointments, large-scale permanent hires, and increased funding to ensure schools can operate effectively.