The Disadvantages of Distance Education Implementation, During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Greek Teachers’ Opinions

In Greece, as in several countries all over the world, schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 2019-2020 school year. The Greek Ministry of Education tried to operate online platforms so that students could have access to education. The teachers managed to respond to this challenge using mainly their own resources while most of them had not received any relevant training. A nationwide survey was designed investigating teachers' views on distance learning disadvantages. 515 teachers working in Greek primary education sector - both at kindergartens and primary schools- participated in the research. Their answers show five main disadvantages from the distance learning implementation at school education: (a) deficit in the interaction and communication among students and among the teacher and his/her students, (b) the teaching methods used were mainly teacher-centered despite the prescripts of the National Curriculum, (c) inequalities that arose for specific social groups of students, (d) schools’ deficits in infrastructure and insubstantial teachers’ in-service training regarding I.C.T. use, and (e) teachers’ concern about the protection and the maintenance of students’ personal data. Despite these disadvantages mentioned, teachers do not overlook the fact that the distance education implementation during the Covid-19 pandemic was principally an attempt to psychologically empower students learning.