Elementary School #2, Tavros, Athens

Elementary School #2

is located in Tavro, a working-class neighborhood of Athens, not far from the port of Pireas. Much of the neighborhood is light and heavy industry, and the housing stock shows the effects of the austerity measures imposed on Greece by the EU. In the middle of a zone of heavy industry one finds the refugee camp of Eleonas, with several hundred residents from a variety of countries living in containers. The Greek government several months ago began a program to provide the children of Eleonas access to public education. It was decided to add a second school day for these children after the close of the normal day, and provide them with a curriculum weighted towards learning Greek and English, to allow their later integration into the normal class schedule. In addition to language mastery, however, the program includes art, math, and physical education. Elementary School #2 was one of the schools chosen to pilot this program.