Public Onassis Schools: The donation contract between the Onassis Foundation and the Greek State was signed

For 50 years, the Onassis Foundation has championed human development and evolution via pioneering initiatives in Education, Healthcare, and Culture. With a vision of a better society, it acknowledges that public education is the cornerstone for all active citizens. Every endeavor in the field of Education affirms the Onassis Foundation’s DNA, which pursues innovation and disruption, the power of its founder, Aristotle Onassis, and the hope symbolized by his son, Alexander Onassis.

At this historical moment, the Onassis Foundation believes that the best way to honor the past is to act in the present, with an eye to the future, where every child should have the opportunity to dream and pursue their aspirations, with the support they deserve.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports and through a generous donation of 160 million euros, 22 public secondary schools in areas across the country facing social and economic challenges are becoming Public Onassis Schools. Over 6,000 students annually and more than 22,000 students over a 12-year period across Greece will benefit from this initiative providing them access to high-quality public education. They will also be able to take part in Groups and Clusters with subjects that meet the needs of the twenty-first century. The Onassis Foundation will comprehensively upgrade these 22 schools with a budget of up to 1 million euros for each. Furthermore, the Onassis Foundation will pay up to 500,000 euros per year for each school to cover additional running expenses.

These 22 schools will remain public, and the teachers who work there will continue to be civil servants in the public education system. It goes without saying that attendance at the Public Onassis Schools is completely free of charge.

The Onassis Foundation believes that it is the duty of every rule-based, democratic state to ensure that its citizens have access to public goods: Education, Culture, and Healthcare must be accessible to all.

Through the Public Onassis Schools initiative, the Foundation stands as a facilitator, without substituting the state. It cooperates with the State and takes on its share of responsibility, always with the public benefit in mind, as defined by its mission.

During the meeting, Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation, said: "The Onassis Foundation places a high priority on ensuring equal access to modern education and innovation. At a historical moment for us, on the occasion of our 50th anniversary, we signed the Onassis Foundation’s donation contract to establish the Public Onassis Schools with Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis, and in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Respecting the principles of the Public School, and with the aim of the Public Onassis School model to bring to public education the same innovation that the Onassis Hospital brought to healthcare, the Onassis Foundation is proceeding with creating a cutting-edge school. Our goal is to provide equal opportunities to those who do not have them and to create the public school of tomorrow that students, parents, and teachers will all enjoy equally."

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “I could hardly imagine a more important intervention of the Foundation, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its establishment, than the program for the Public Onassis Schools, which we have the opportunity today to ratify by signing the relevant contract.

The Onassis Foundation already has an extensive track record of public benefit activity, but I believe that today’s donation is unique. It is unique because we want to create together, the Greek State and the Onassis Foundation, a new type of public school that will build on the great know-how we have already acquired from the 42 Model Secondary Schools that operate in our country so that we can add even more educational and cognitive experiences to our students.”

Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports said: "Today is an important day for public education in our country. The establishment of 22 Public Onassis Schools in areas facing social and economic challenges, with the valuable contribution of the Onassis Foundation, is part of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports’ overall strategy to enhance educational opportunities, with the goal of creating a modern school that highlights students’ skills.

The Public Onassis Schools, along with a series of interventions we are rolling out to change the overall philosophy of education, will make a substantial contribution to improving public education. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the President of the Onassis Foundation, Mr. Anthony S. Papadimitriou, and everyone involved in the project’s implementation."

As part of the donation, the Onassis Foundation will upgrade the schools’ equipment and facilities while also covering the operational costs for the newly established Groups and Clusters held after the daily courses, with a focus on cutting-edge fields of knowledge such as STEM, humanities, arts, and digital technologies.

Furthermore, the Onassis Foundation will provide additional resources and equipment to students and teachers, contribute to teacher professional development, and cover annual operational costs beyond the school’s core program, which the state will still fund.

The operation of the Public Onassis Schools will be regulated through a contract between the Greek State and the Onassis Foundation, following the successful model of the Onassis Hospital, which has transformed the public health sector in Greece since 1993. In this way, strengthening public education is ensured without altering its nature.

All Public Onassis Schools will be overseen by an independent nine-member Management Committee at the Ministry of Education, ensuring efficient operation and high-quality educational outcomes.

The teachers at the Public Onassis Schools will continue to be employed and paid on a regular basis by the state. Students will be admitted to these schools after taking a knowledge and skills test administered prior to the first year of junior and senior high school, while the curriculum will be identical to that of Model Secondary Schools.

At least six Public Onassis Schools are scheduled to commence operations in the 2025–26 school year. Every attempt is being made to raise this number to twelve or more schools. By the end of January 2025, it will be announced which of the 22 schools will participate in the program’s initial phase.

The 22 school units will be distributed as follows: ten in the Attica Region, four in Thessaloniki, and eight around the country. The following schools will be turned into Public Onassis Schools:

• 52nd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kolonos, Region of Attica]
• 52nd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kolonos, Region of Attica]
• 15th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kypseli, Region of Attica]
• 15th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ATHENS [Kypseli, Region of Attica]
• 3rd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ACHARNES [Menidi, Region of Attica]
• 7th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF ACHARNES [Menidi, Region of Attica]
• 1st DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERAMA [Piraeus, Region of Attica]
• 1st DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERAMA [Piraeus, Region of Attica]
• 5th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERISTERI [Region of Attica]
• 5th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF PERISTERI “ODYSSEAS ELYTIS” [Region of Attica]
• 12th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF THESSALONIKI [Xirokrini, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 16th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF THESSALONIKI “PERICLES STEFANIDIS” [Xirokrini, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 6th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF EVOSMOS [Thessaloniki, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 3rd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF EVOSMOS [Thessaloniki, Region of Central Macedonia]
• 3rd DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF KOZANI [Region of Western Macedonia]
• 3rd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF KOZANI [Region of Western Macedonia]
• 1st DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF XANTHI [Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace]
• 2nd DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF XANTHI [Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace]
• 6th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF RHODES [Region of South Aegean]
• 3rd DAY GENERAL SENIOR SCHOOL OF RHODES [Region of South Aegean]
• 9th DAY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF HERAKLION [Region of Crete]
• 10th DAY GENERAL SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF HERAKLION [Region of Crete]

"Honorable Mr. Prime Minister,

Mr. Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports,

Members of the Government,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year is marked by significant anniversaries: 50 years since the death of Aristotle Onassis and the establishment of our Foundation in the name of his son, Alexander, who tragically passed away at the age of 24 on January 23, 1973; 30 years of operation for the Onassis Hospital and 15 years of operation for the Onassis Stegi.

However, it is also marked by something more important than the commemoration of such decisive events. It is marked by the defining event that brings us here today. At the Onassis Foundation, we believe that the best way to honor the past is to act in the present with an eye to the future.

For the large Onassis Foundation family, all initiatives related to Education affirm our DNA. A DNA that pursues innovation and disruption, the power of Aristotle Onassis, and the hope that Alexander promised.

You may recall, Mr. Prime Minister, the first time we discussed the idea of Onassis Schools. You embraced it immediately and provided the necessary instructions for the swift implementation of our initiative. I know that, amidst your many other duties, you dedicated time and attention to personally monitoring our progress.

Today, thanks to the concerted effort of the Minister of Education, Mr. Pierrakakis, and his departments, you are sealing the signing of the Donation Agreement and the terms of operation for the Public Onassis Schools with your presence. I must say that our collaboration with the Ministry of Education has been exemplary, and we are now ready.

The initiative concerns 22 existing public junior and senior high schools in areas of our country facing significant economic and social challenges. Our challenge is to respond to the growing demand for high-quality education expressed by more and more families in Greece. And our duty is to ensure that every child can dream and pursue their aspirations with the support they deserve.

Over the next twelve years, 22,000 students will graduate from Public Onassis Schools located in Kolonos, Menidi, Perama, Peristeri, and Kypseli; Evosmos and Xirokrini in Thessaloniki; Kozani, Heraklion, Rhodes, and Xanthi. The Onassis Foundation will responsibly and honorably allocate 160 million euros and remain present to ensure the schools operate smoothly in the future. You know that we never stop at merely signing an agreement to promote our work. For us, every donation is a commitment that we honor consistently with all our efforts.

We strengthen public education without altering its nature: the Public Onassis Schools remain public. The status of teachers remains also unchanged, but they will have access to additional educational materials and equipment, as well as specialized training programs. The schools already selected will receive complete infrastructure upgrades, with an emphasis on digital transformation. Students will not only be able to follow the curriculum defined by the Ministry for Model Schools in the best possible way but also, after the compulsory daily classes, they can follow courses in Groups and Clusters: in the Sciences and Classical Studies, in Foreign Languages and Digital Technology, in Arts and Culture.

Our goal, always in collaboration with the State, is to provide a modern, upgraded school in terms of both infrastructure and curriculum. Above all, we are building a school that teachers, parents, and, most importantly, its students will all enjoy equally.

Elite, Mr. Prime Minister, means exclusion from opportunities. We aspire to offer opportunities to those who belong to no elite, opportunities they lack and deserve. Greece is resisting; Greece is insisting on the values of the European spirit, ensuring public goods like education, culture, and healthcare are accessible to its citizens. We do not substitute the state. It is the duty of every rule-based, democratic state to provide these goods to its citizens. We are present as facilitators, collaborating with the State and taking on our share of responsibility assigned by the concept of public benefit that defines our mission.

The large family of the Onassis Foundation has always been present when citizens called for greater access to Healthcare, Culture, and Education. We demonstrate it to this day through numerous examples: from the 7,800 postgraduate scholarships we have continuously provided since 1978 to the integrated and fully digital Onassis Hospital, along with the new Onassis National Transplant Center and the Onassis Children’s Unit, which we will hand over to the State in the spring of 2025. We also prove this through our pioneering actions in contemporary culture and our support for artists and creators, centered on the Onassis Stegi, which celebrates 15 years of operation this year.

Today, we stand by the State because we all desire an Education centered on students—centered on human beings. An Education where knowledge is combined with humanism, provoking curiosity, encouraging questioning, and promoting dialogue. To paraphrase the poet, even education “requires virtue and boldness.”

We commit to supporting the needs of students, the educational community, and parents, as well as the State's efforts. Within a society that dreams and evolves, the Public Onassis Schools mark a significant step toward creating a modern educational environment that combines integrity with innovation, offering equal opportunities and boundless creative inspiration for the future.

Thank you".