After seven months, 5-year-old pupil finally able to attend school
CORFU. A school nurse was finally appointed. The position had previously been advertised five times without a result.
Although providing public education is a basic obligation of the state and a fundamental right for citizens, it is not always self-evident, as demonstrated once again in the case of a 5-year-old pupil from Corfu, who couldn't attend classes until recently at the Corfu Special Nursery due to a lack of a school nurse.
Finally, seven months after the start of the school year, the position was filled with a special recruitment call for a substitute to fill the vacancy.
As the Ionian Islands Regional Director of Education, Petros Aggelopoulos, told Enimerosi, the position was advertised five times, but unfortunately, there was no interest.
"Although the position was advertised multiple times throughout the previous period, there was no interest at any phase. When this substitute list is exhausted, then a special call is issued, to which there was a response," he said.
As he explained, the school nurse who took on the responsibility of supporting the 5-year-old pupil will also cover the needs of the Corfu Special Primary School, which is in the the same location.
The needsThe issue of shortages in school nurses was highlighted by Enimerosi in an article published on 16/09/2022. As we pointed out then, although the recruitment process substitutes was properly carried out for this school year, there were still vacancies that were either not filled from the beginning or arose during the course of the year.
According to Corfu Primary Education Department, out of the 14 school nurses requested to cover the needs of nurseries and primary schools, only 11 were ultimately hired, of which two resigned. The nine remaining nurses were not enough to meet all the demands, as the cases of children who needed support were spread across different schools.
Although the Corfu Primary Education Department requested their immediate replacement, a basic prerequisite is that there must also be sufficient interest. As they are recruited as substitutes for a specific period, most are looking for a more secure job in health facilities.
