Greece closes 75 schools amid Europe’s aging crisis

Greece closed 75 schools this year and suspended or extended classes at more than 400 others. On Kalamos, the last school has two sixth graders and is expected to close when they leave for middle school next year. Its kindergarten shut three years ago; toys and picture books remain on shelves. The island has about 80 year-round residents, down from about 40 school-age children a decade ago. Seven teenagers ferry to mainland school and miss class when strong winds make crossings unsafe. Europe has 16 of the world's top 20 oldest nations. About 17 million people live on more than 4,000 EU islands. Teacher Chryssa Ntalaka said teachers usually are placed on islands against their wishes, whereas for Kalamos teachers want to come but there are no children. She said residents are welcoming and want someone to hear them, the sooner the better. Researcher Byron Kotzamanis said closing schools leads young people to leave, fewer births, depopulation and dead settlements that become nursing homes. Student Antonis Aivaliotis said he loves Kalamos and would like to stay but there is no development. EU official Themis Christophidou said the bloc spent 146 million euros over five years to modernize schools on four Greek island clusters and that people should leave by choice, never neglect. Croatia invested 4.6 billion euros in its islands over 10 years, per Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. Japan's remote-island population fell 19 percent in the decade through 2023.