INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHANGES IN EDUCATION
Review
Aug 14, 2026 115 57

Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review

Natalia Kougia 1 2,
Lambrini Seremeti 1 3,
Ioannis Kougias 1 *
1 Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Peloponnese, Greece2 European University, Cyprus3 Department of Regional and Economic Development, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(4), 2026, 443-450, https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
Online publication date: Sep 30, 2025
Publication date: Aug 14, 2026
Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, Greece has implemented significant reforms in its special education system, driven by a national commitment to promote inclusive education and ensure equitable access for students with disabilities and special educational needs. This critical literature review explores the key developments shaping this transformation, including recent legislative initiatives, evolving policy frameworks, and the practical deployment of support services within mainstream educational settings. The review synthesizes findings from current academic research, government reports, and educational policy documents to evaluate the effectiveness of these reforms. While notable progress has been made—particularly in the areas of parallel support, early intervention, and teacher training, ongoing challenges persist. These include uneven resource distribution, infrastructural limitations, and societal attitudes that continue to hinder full inclusion. The review concludes by emphasizing the need for sustained investment, better implementation strategies, and expanded research to inform future policy. It offers insights that are valuable for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders committed to advancing inclusive education in Greece.

KEYWORDS

special education inclusive education policy reform students with disabilities

CITATION (APA)

Kougia, N., Seremeti, L., & Kougias, I. (2026). Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(4), 443-450. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
Harvard
Kougia, N., Seremeti, L., and Kougias, I. (2026). Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(4), pp. 443-450. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
Vancouver
Kougia N, Seremeti L, Kougias I. Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(4):443-50. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
AMA
Kougia N, Seremeti L, Kougias I. Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(4), 443-450. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
Chicago
Kougia, Natalia, Lambrini Seremeti, and Ioannis Kougias. "Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review". International Journal of Changes in Education 2026 3 no. 4 (2026): 443-450. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114
MLA
Kougia, Natalia et al. "Recent Advances in the Greek Special Education System: A Critical Review". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 3, no. 4, 2026, pp. 443-450. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE52026114

REFERENCES

  1. Taneja-Johansson, S., & Singal, N. (2025). Pathways to inclusive and equitable quality education for people with disabilities: Cross-context conversations and mutual learning. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 29(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1965799
  2. Charitaki, G., Kourti, I., Gregory, J. L., Ozturk, M., Ismail, Z., Alevriadou, A., ..., & Demirel, C. (2025). A comparative analysis of teachers’ attitudes towards including all students in six countries. Educational Research and Evaluation, 30(1-2), 74–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2024.2406516
  3. Syriopoulou-Delli, C. K. (2010). A historical review of educational policy in Greece for children with pervasive developmental disorders, behavioral difficulties and other special education needs. Review of European Studies, 2(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.5539/res.v2n1p2
  4. Koutrouba, K., Vamvakari, M., & Theodoropoulos, H. (2008). SEN students’ inclusion in Greece: Factors influencing Greek teachers’ stance. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 23(4), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250802387422
  5. Giavrimis, P. (2023). Intellectually disabled students. Education inclusive practices in Greece. Annals of the University of Craiova, 45(2), 92–104.
  6. Kougias, I., Seremeti, L., & Kalogeras, D. (2016). Promoting inclusion in higher education by adopting the theoretical framework of autopoiesis. In 11th MIBES Conference, 264–272.
  7. UNESCO. (2017). A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education. UNESDOC Digital Library. https://doi.org/10.54675/MHHZ2237
  8. Nteropoulou-Nterou, E., & Slee, R. (2019). A critical consideration of the changing conditions of schooling for students with disabilities in Greece and the fragility of international in local contexts. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23(7-8), 891–907. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1623331
  9. Pappas, M. A., Papoutsi, C., & Drigas, A. S. (2018). Policies, practices, and attitudes toward inclusive education: The case of Greece. Social Sciences, 7(6), 90. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7060090
  10. Kleinlein, E. (2025). Conceptualising inclusive assessment. A critical literature review at the nexus of education, inclusion, and assessment. European Journal of Special Needs Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2025.2500137
  11. Navas-Bonilla, C. D. R., Guerra-Arango, J. A., Oviedo-Guado, D. A., & Murillo-Noriega, D. E. (2025). Inclusive education through technology: A systematic review of types, tools and characteristics. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1527851. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1527851
  12. Spandagou, I. (2025). Inclusive education is another country; developments, obstacles and resistance to inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 29(1), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1965805
  13. Connor, D. J., Danforth, S., & Gallagher, D. (2025). An open letter to the field: Contemplating special education’s collaborative role in developing inclusive education. Exceptional Children, 91(3), 236–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029241303051
  14. Panagiotis, G. (2024). Inclusion classes in Greek education: Political and social articulations. An interpretive phenomenological analysis. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 24(3), 454–464. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12644
  15. Gelastopoulou, M., & Kourbetis, V. (2017). The use of information and communication technologies for inclusive education in Greece. In P. Anastasiades & N. Zaranis (Eds.), Research on e-learning and ICT in education: Technological, pedagogical and instructional perspectives (pp. 243–255). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34127-9_18
  16. Rizos, I., Foykas, E., & Georgakopoulos, S. V. (2024). Enhancing mathematics education for students with special educational needs through generative AI: A case study in Greece. Contemporary Educational Technology, 16(4), ep535. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15487
  17. Kaltsouni, P. (2021). Inclusive education in Greece. Social Work and Education, 8(3), 385–394. https://doi.org/10.25128/2520-6230.21.3.7
  18. Dimitrios, S., Pinelopi, R., & Harilaos, Z. (2018). School teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education in Greece. European Journal of Special Education Research, 3(3), 182–194.
  19. Katsarou, D. (2020). Views and perceptions of teachers in special education in Greece regarding ICT. European Journal of Special Education Research, 5(3), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3633839
  20. Foteini, C., Dimitrios, S., Harilaos, Z., Victoria, Z., & Vasiliki, G. (2020). Professional quality of life of special education teachers in Greece. European Journal of Special Education Research, 5(3), 100–116. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3676112
  21. Theodora, E., & Stavros, F. (2025). Interdisciplinary intervention and handling of conflicts in special education in Greece. Of Preprint. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/sdmb7_v1
  22. Tzivinikou, S., & Kagkara, D. (2019). Factors that contribute to the improvement of the sense of self-efficacy of special educators in inclusive settings in Greece. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 13(4), 356–362. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12060383
  23. Tsagdi, S., Tsipopoulou, V., Balatsou, M., & Theologou, K. (2022). Crisis management in education: A comparative case study of a special school and a standardized school in Greece. International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education, 11(1), 1732–1738. https://doi.org/10.20533/ijtie.2047.0533.2022.0214
  24. Hartas, D. (2004). Teacher and speech-language therapist collaboration: Being equal and achieving a common goal? Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 20(1), 33–54. https://doi.org/10.1191/0265659004ct262oa
  25. Kotsi, S., Handrinou, S., Iatraki, G., & Soulis, S.-G. (2025). A review of artificial intelligence interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder. Disabilities, 5(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities5010007
  26. Voultsiou, E., Vrochidou, E., Moussiades, L., & Papakostas, G. A. (2025). The potential of Large Language Models for social robots in special education. Progress in Artificial Intelligence, 14(2), 165–189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13748-025-00363-2
  27. Samsari, E., Nikolaou, G., & Palaiologou, N. (2025). Multicultural education and students with special needs: A case study from Greece. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 72(1), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2024.2336250
  28. Alhossyan, F. (2025). Parent’s involvement in the education of their children who have intellectual disability: Perception and knowledge. Journal of Ecohumanism, 4(1), 2291–2299. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v4i1.6050
  29. Antoniou, A.-S., Charitaki, G., Pavlidou, K., & Alevriadou, A. (2025). An exploratory statistical cusp catastrophe model for the prediction of the effect of special education teachers’ emotional intelligence on their burnout. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1512197. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1512197
  30. Andritsou, P., Kaprinis, S., & Skordilis, E. (2025). Exploring the relationship between physical education teachers’ emotional intelligence in shaping attitudes, perceptions and concerns about inclusive education. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, 12(2), 143–160. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v12i2.5820
  31. Koutsoklenis, A., & Papadimitriou, V. (2024). Special education provision in Greek mainstream classrooms: Teachers’ characteristics and recruitment procedures in parallel support. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 28(5), 561–576. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2021.1942565
  32. Koutsoklenis, A., & Karagianni, Y. (2024). Neoliberal–neoconservative educational reforms and the inclusion in education of disabled students in Greece: The case of the institution of special assistant. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100863
  33. Ferentinou, A., Karra, V., Papalexopoulos, P. F., & Vavougios, D. (2025). Concept mapping as a pedagogical tool in differentiated teaching practice for students with learning disabilities in Greek high schools. An Overview of Literature, Language and Education Research, 9, 41–56. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/aoller/v9/3717
  34. Goutziamanis, G., & Goutziamani, T. (2025). Promoting inclusive education and parallel support in modern Greek schools: A legislative approach. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 6(2), 101–105. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2025.6.2.907
  35. Zamkowska, A., Pilgrim, M., & Hornby, G. (2025). Co-teaching: Review and guidelines for practice. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 69(2), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2024.2404404
  36. Labra, J., Pinili, L., Saladaga, L., & Calasang, V. (2025). The effectiveness of inclusive education practices on social outcomes for students with disabilities. International Journal of Social Sciences and English Literature, 9(2), 67–70. https://doi.org/10.55220/2576683x.v9.292
  37. Blackwell, W. H., & Rossetti, Z. S. (2014). The development of individualized education programs: Where have we been and where should we go now? SAGE Open, 4(2), 2158244014530411. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014530411
  38. Seremeti, L., Patropoulos, A., Karachristos, C., Pantermali, M., & Kougia, N. (2024). Exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and special education. In Proceedings for the 15th International Conference on e-Learning. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3938/
  39. Konstantinos, M. (2023). An overview of the role of counselling in the vocational orientation of students with disabilities. The case of the Greek inclusive education. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education, 9(2), 1389–1391.
  40. Vlachou, A., Karadimou, S., & Koutsogeorgou, E. (2016). Exploring the views and beliefs of parents of typically developing children about inclusion and inclusive education. Educational Research, 58(4), 384–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2016.1232918
  41. Vlachou, A., Stavroussi, P., & Didaskalou, E. (2016). Special teachers’ educational responses in supporting students with special educational needs (SEN) in the domain of social skills development. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 63(1), 79–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2015.1111305
  42. Kourkoutas, E., Stavrou, P. D., & Loizidou, N. (2017). Exploring teachers’ views on including children with special educational needs in Greece: Implication for inclusive counseling. American Journal of Educational Research, 5(2), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-5-2-3
  43. Jury, M., Perrin, A.-L., Rohmer, O., & Desombre, C. (2021). Attitudes toward inclusive education: An exploration of the interaction between teachers’ status and students’ type of disability within the French context. Frontiers in Education, 6, 655356. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.655356
  44. Filippou, K., Acquah, E. O., & Bengs, A. (2025). Inclusive policies and practices in higher education: A systematic literature review. Review of Education, 13(1), e70034. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.70034
  45. Mantzikos, C. N., & Lappa, C. S. (2023). Feasibility of inclusive education in Greece: Current challenges, difficulties, and opportunities. Medical Research Archives, 11(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v11i2.3561
  46. Mouchritsa, M., Kazanopoulos, S., Romero, A., & Garay, U. (2021). Collaboration between general and special education teachers in inclusive classrooms: A review of the literature. Journal of Education and Practice, 12(6), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.7176/JEP/12-6-04
  47. Al Jaffal, M. (2022). Barriers general education teachers face regarding the inclusion of students with autism. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 873248. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873248
  48. Kossyvaki, L. (2021). Autism education in Greece at the beginning of the 21st century: Reviewing the literature. Support for Learning, 36(2), 183–203. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12350
  49. Mitroulaki, S., Samakouri, M., & Serdari, A. (2023). Children with autism in the Greek educational system: Ongoing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. BJPsych International, 20(3), 68–70. https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2023.5
  50. Giannoulis, K., Liagkis, M. K., Laskaridou, K., & Guldberg, K. (2021). Training needs and attitudes of Greek educationalists on good autism education practice for children on the autism spectrum. International Journal of Elementary Education, 10(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijeedu.20211001.11
  51. Barros, M. G. D., & Dalonos, S. (2025). Exploring the support systems of special education teachers. American Journal of Educational Research, 13(2), 88–91. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-13-2-7
  52. Howorth, S. K., Marino, M. T., Flanagan, S., Cuba, M. J., & Lemke, C. (2024). Integrating emerging technologies to enhance special education teacher preparation. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-08-2024-0208
  53. Ali, H. F., Solihat, Y. N., & Nurmalasari, N. (2024). Managing facilities to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities in higher education. International Journal of Language, Humanities, and Education, 7(2), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.52217/ijlhe.v7i2.1584
  54. Alimatu, I. C. (2024). Impact of school-community collaboration on the academic achievements of learners with disabilities in inclusive schools within Tamale metropolis. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 7(6), 118–131.
  55. Wilcox, G., Fernandez Conde, C., & Kowbel, A. (2021). Using evidence-based practice and data-based decision making in inclusive education. Education Sciences, 11(3), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11030129
  56. Lappa, C. S., & Mantzikos, C. N. (2021). Are Greek special education teachers in favour of the inclusion of pupils with intellectual disability? An online survey. European Journal of Special Education Research, 7(4), 233–259. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED618294
  57. Giavrimis, P. (2024). Parallel support as an institution for tackling social and educational inequalities: Functioning and barriers in the Greek education system. Support for Learning, 39(3), 137–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12485
  58. Arnaiz-Sánchez, P., de Haro-Rodríguez, R., Caballero, C. M., & Martínez-Abellán, R. (2023). Barriers to educational inclusion in initial teacher training. Societies, 13(2), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13020031
  59. Woodcock, S., Gibbs, K., Hitches, E., & Regan, C. (2023). Investigating teachers’ beliefs in inclusive education and their levels of teacher self-efficacy: Are teachers constrained in their capacity to implement inclusive teaching practices? Education Sciences, 13(3), 280. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030280
  60. Giavrimis, P., & Dimitriadou, S. (2023). Interculturality in Greek education: Practices and challenges of implementation. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 10(3), 72–88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1564

LICENSE

Creative Commons License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.