The Second Gymnasium of Ioannina (2GDIE) was founded in 1993. During the school year 1998-1999 it was converted into a Secondary School of Ioannina Intercultural Education. The school has many years of experience in teaching foreign students and the involved teachers have been trained in Intercultural education. They are active teachers of non language courses. The teachers of the 2nd Junior High School of Ioannina Intercultural Education have got increased formal qualifications in intercultural and bilingual education.
As an intercultural school, it supports the operation of Reception Classes (RCs) for foreign students and has been hosting refugee students since 2017.
Reception Classes (RCs) are morning classes with fast-learning Greek language programs and flexible curricula and they operate in parallel to the regular school program as supportive action. Their goal is to improve the learning performance of pupils with immigrant backgrounds and pupils of vulnerable social groups, who will finally join the regular school program as soon as they are ready. In addition, educational material has also been gradually produced to inform and support educators in the Reception Classes.
The school also hosted Education Reception Structures (DYEPs) in the past. These are afternoon classes that have been established in Greece since 2016 and act as the first point of entrance of refugee/asylum seekers, children who do not have a permanent residency and/or lack any kind of school certificates to specify their schooling experience, to the Greek education system.
The school currently hosts students of different needs (i) students from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, China in Reception Classes (RCs), who fall in the above categories of students with no or limited prior schooling experience and (ii) students from other countries e.g. Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, who have had a continuous and uninterrupted schooling experience.
The school is a regular partner in 2 Erasmus programmes: Erasmus + KA229 ‘School Exchange Partnerships and ‘The Role Models Initiative’.
Team members:
Mr Dimirtrios Kontosakos studied Geology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and collaborated with the Laboratory of Geophysics and Seismology of AUTH. He has worked at the Institute of Geological and Mineral Research (I.G.M.E.). He has got a bachelor in Geology and has specialized in Hydrogeology and Technical Geology working in A.S.A.G. He has been working as a Geology teacher at all levels of education for 35 years. He is a certified Teacher Educator in ICT with more than 1100 hours of teaching experience in teacher education. He has worked at the Department of Primary Education of the University of Ioannina in the Faculty of Geographical and Environmental Education. He has been a key contributor to Environmental Education Programs and has participated in Erasmus+ Projects as a member of the project consortium bringing in pedagogical and managerial expertise. He has taught as a Geology Teacher in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, for five years. He speaks English and German. He has been the school Principal at the 2nd Junior High School of Ioannina Intercultural Education for the past 10 years, working with migrant children.
Mrs Maria Tzouma studied Mathematics and holds a Master Degree (MSc) in Information Systems from the Hellenic Open University. She has been working as a Maths and a Computer Science teacher in schools in secondary education since 1991. She has been working at the 2nd Junior High School of Ioannina Intercultural Education since 1994 and she is the Head of the Computer Lab. She speaks English and undertakes school participation in cultural and environmental programs as well as in eTwinning programs that have been awarded national and European Quality Labels. She also participates in Erasmus+ Projects as a member of the project consortium bringing in pedagogical and managerial expertise. She has got extensive experience in and is particularly sensitive as far as intercultural education is concerned and has participated in relevant teacher training.
Mrs Vasiliki Vazalouka, vice-principle of the 2nd Junior High School of Ioannina Intercultural Education, who is a French Language teacher and holds a diploma in translation and interpretation from the University of Strasbourg. She draws her experience in intercultural education by both having an overall teaching experience of 25 years, out of which, 11 years in intercultural schools but also having been a foreign student at the Primary and Secondary European School of Brussels herself. Besides Greek and French, she also speaks English and Albanian and holds a certificate of ICT skills in education. As a French Language teacher, she has participated in etwinning, Erasmus+ projects regarding the exploitation of ICT and Web 2.0 in education.