Education uncertainty

A friend of mine is a teacher at a state school.  After many years in the private sector she was appointed after sitting national examinations (meaning she demonstrated her own abilities, it was not through connexions).  Her first year was on a small island.  This is customary in Greece, where over 35% of the population live in Attica (basically, in Athens, Piraeus and their suburbs) so the main way of getting enough teachers and doctors to staff schools and hospitals in the provinces is to require them to do their first year there.  Since her return to Athens she has taught at three different schools in three years.  This is to be her fifth year.

Unfortunately, as part of the Troika-imposed requirement to reduce the large number of public sector workers, all "new" teachers who have worked fewer than five years in the State system will either be a. laid off, b. offered a position in the Provinces or c. be appointed to Athens/Piraeus again.  Two days ago the list of "new" teachers for the provinces came out.  Those on the list have less than a fortnight to go to the new town or island, find accommodation, return to Athens to pack, and move to their new post in time for the new school year.  Some of these teachers are likely to be married, with homes in Athens, who now have to leave behind their families and fork out additional rent in a new town, or uproot the entire family to resettle elsewhere.

My friend is not on the Provinces list.  So she still does not know whether she will have a job this year.  If she is unlucky, it is too late for her to look for a job at a private school.  If she is lucky she will teach again at a state school, but does not yet know where.  The school year starts in nine days, and daily attendance at their school is required from the beginning of the month for all teachers to prepare.  Thousands of teachers are not yet participating in this preparation.  How can anyone plan their lives this way?  Why does it take so long to make these lists?   Thousands of teachers and their families are in limbo, uncertain of their future.  

Oh, and just to keep things even more interesting, the teachers' union OLME have not yet decided whether to call a 48-hour strike, or an indefinite strike, starting the day after schools open.  Imagine being a parent, having to go to work, not knowing whether your children will be safe at school while you are working, or whether you need to make babysitting arrangements for them.  If you cannot afford a babysitter and have no grandparents or other relatives handy, these kids may be roaming the streets.  And of course, there will not be enough time to cover the year's syllabus if the strike drags on indefinitely.  Several years ago primary state school teachers were on strike for about six weeks.  Luckily at the time my son was in private school so he was not affected.  Then the financial crisis hit us too and we could no longer afford the private school.