On a remote Greek island, empty classrooms signal a crisis across Europe
Falling enrollment has closed 75 schools in Greece this year, while EU officials warn that shrinking island communities are accelerating depopulation.
- The last school on the Greek island of Kalamos will close next year, leaving teacher Chryssa Ntalaka with dwindling pupils as the local kindergarten remains shuttered for a second consecutive year.
- Greece's fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.34 children per woman, well below the 2.1 level needed for stability. Experts project the nation's population will fall to 8 million by 2050.
- High school senior Antonis Aivaliotis commutes by boat to the mainland for classes, viewing departure after graduation as inevitable. Ntalaka has taught remote schools for 20 years, witnessing enrollment collapse firsthand.
- Falling enrollment prompted authorities to close 75 schools across Greece this year and suspend or extend suspension at more than 400 others. Byron Kotzamanis, co-founder of the Institute of Demographic Research in Athens, warns this accelerates depopulation cycles.
- The European Commission has spent €146 million over five years modernizing schools on four Greek island clusters to counter demographic decline. Croatia invested €4.6 billion in its islands over ten years, while Japan provides subsidies to lure remote workers.
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On a remote Greek island, empty classrooms signal a crisis throughout Europe. Greece's islands become a warning sign of Europe's population decline, as the decline in the birth rate and migration of young people threatens schools and local communities, writes The Independent. Chryssei Ntalaka's classroom has become a practical lesson on the decline.
المالالال الال عبر Cedarnews.net. لمابعة المبيد من العبار والبارير العرية وورونا علا موعنا. On a remote Greek island, empty classrooms signal a crisis throughout Europe. Another source statement: Greece's islands become a sign of. مم نار البر عبر مور موابععاري. لالالالالالاريي. علالالالالالالالالالارااااواوااوااالاواااااااااااااااااااو ار ال اا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا ا
Associated Press News
On a remote Greek island, empty classrooms signal a crisis across Europe
Greece’s remote islands are becoming a warning sign of Europe’s population decline, as falling birth rates and youth migration threaten schools and local communities.
Greece closed 75 schools this year due to the drop in the number of students, and in more than 400 other courses were suspended, according to The Independent, which takes over an Associated Press investigation. The phenomenon does not keep [...]
Greece has closed 75 schools this year due to the decrease in the number of students, and in more than 400 other courses have been suspended. On the island of Kalamos, the last school has two more students and will close by the year. The phenomenon does not hold only of Greece: the European Union had in 2024 the least births in history, and Romania registered in 2025 the smallest number of newborns since 1930.
75 school units closed this year due to low birth rate
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