Minister of Education, Research and Religious Affairs Kostas Gavroglou in an interview to Real FM, spoke about the schoolbooks of the Religious Lesson and the agreement with the Church of Greece.
Asked about the schoolbooks of the Religious Lesson, the Minister replied: “We have been discussing with the Church Committee for two years and have reached a good level of concentration. We are still in the debate. The tender process for the schoolbooks will take a long time. But it should be clear that the ultimate responsibility for schoolbooks in a modern country remains with the State and the Ministry”.
Kostas Gavroglou also referred to the agreement with the Church of Greece. Concerning the payment regime of the clergy, he said: “The Standing Holy Synod has appointed a Commission to discuss all matters except the payment regime. We submitted our plan proposal for the implementation of the agreement with the Church of Greece on payroll, but unfortunately the Church Committee did not have the authority to negotiate. Our proposal further safeguards the rights of the clerics and their permanent posts. We are waiting for the Hierarchy to take its decisions. The plan will either be rejected by the Hierarchy or the Hierarchy will tell the Committee – or another appointed committee – ‘to continue negotiating’.”