About 10,000 Greek students, teachers march in Athens over education funding

Thousands of school pupils, university students and teachers marched through central Athens on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, demanding more money for public education, smaller classes and affordable housing for students. Police put the turnout at about 10,000 people in Athens and its suburbs, while organisers said more took part. Marches were also held in Thessaloniki, Patras and other cities, primary school teachers staged a 24-hour strike, and the Athens rally ended peacefully in the early afternoon.

The protest brings together two pressures that students in many countries will recognise: the cost of a place to live while studying, and the quality of the classroom itself. Pupils and teachers asked for more teachers, smaller classes and safe school buildings. University students focused on rent, saying the monthly subsidy does not cover even half a month's rent in Athens. A 20-year-old engineering student quoted at the march, Panagiotis Moschonas, said the support was too small and arrived too late in the year to help.

Teachers added their own demands. The primary teachers' federation asked for substantial pay rises, the hiring of staff to fill vacant posts and enough resources to support pupils, and teachers more widely called for the return of holiday bonuses. Substitute teachers asked for permanent jobs. The government's answer, through the education minister, was that it has raised spending, made permanent teacher appointments and is funding a large building programme, and that dialogue with pupils is welcome but school occupations cost lessons and hurt poorer families most, since not every family can pay to make up lost time.

The march also showed how youth protest can spread across borders. Many marchers carried banners about France, and reports said students were inspired by recent rallies by young people in France and Spain over the cost of living and education. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was reported as saying Greece would not return to the social unrest of the austerity years.

For Indian students, Greece is a small study destination compared with the United Kingdom, Germany or Ireland, but the issue is the same one they face when planning to study in Europe: tuition is only part of the bill, and housing can decide whether a course is affordable. What to do next: before choosing a university abroad, check the official cost of student housing in that city, whether any rent subsidy exists and when it is paid, and budget for rent rising during the course.

Short-term: more strikes and rallies are possible as unions and student groups press their case, and some schools may again face disruption or occupations.

Long-term: with an election due by mid-2027, education spending and student housing are likely to stay on the political agenda, and any new funding would shape class sizes and housing for students in Greece for years.

Who is affected: school pupils and university students in Greece and their families; teachers, including substitute teachers on temporary contracts; and international students weighing the cost of studying in European cities.

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