Erikoussa school closes
CORFU. The only two pupils who attended the primary school and nursery last year left the island this year, and the school remained without children.
Finally, after two years of operation, the school bell fell silent on the remote island of Erikoussa, the only Diapontia island to have a school at the northern borders of the country.
The only two pupils who attended the primary school and nursery last year left the island this year, and the school remained without children. Following this, both the primary and nursery of Ereikoussa stayed closed for the school year 2023-2024 due to no new enrollments, by decision of the Ionian Islands Regional Director of Education, Petros Aggelopoulos.
Mr. Aggelopoulos told Enimerosi that these schools have not closed, and if there are pupils in the future, they will operate again.
However, this is a sad development, as they were the only open educational institutions left in the Diapontia Islands.
The School
Erikoussa Primary School was built in 1920, donated by Andreas Syggrou. Since then, education on the island of Erikoussa has been ongoing, as every year a large number of pupils of all ages enrolled in the 1st and 2nd grades of primary school. However, in 2017, the school bell fell silent after nearly a century's existence. Three years later, in 2020, the school managed to reopen, bringing joy and hope to the few permanent residents of Erikoussa. The pupil population, however, remains limited to a single-digit figure.
Kindergarten
At the same time, last year, a kindergarten was established on the remote island for the first time, sending a message of optimism. The kindergarten was one of eight established throughout the country during the previous school year. Only one pupil attended this new unit. However, after their departure, the school fell silent once again.
MARIA BAZDRIYIANNI
