Editorial Ta Nea: Upgrading

Greece is aging – not only in terms of its population but also in terms of the age of public servants, who at times appear unable to keep up with technological developments and the digital modernisation of the country.

The pandemic brought to the fore this technological backwardness and highlighted the urgent need to renew the personnel who work in critical state services.

One therefore welcomes yesterday’s announcement by Education Minister Niki Kerameus that 11,700 educators will be hired to serve in permanent positions in order “to establish new, upgraded schools”.

Over the past years, the need for more teachers was covered by substitutes. The time has come for this temporary hiring to give way to permanent positions.

Yet, it is not only education that will be upgraded, nor just the health system, where the heroism of healthcare workers over the last year-and-a-half was not enough to cover the need for facilities and personnel. The military must also be upgraded as the new realities of hybrid warfare require new blood, new minds, and new forces.

Our country over the last two years has made great strides in the digitalisation of everyday life, proving that political will can defeat the logic of inertia and stagnation.

This strategy must continue in all areas.

The much-desired return to normalcy must be dynamic.