Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education of Crete

The Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs formulates and implements legislation, administers the budget, coordinates and supervises its decentralized services, approves primary and secondary school curricula and appoints teaching staff. There are thirteen Regional Education Directorates under the Minister of Education implementing educational policy and linking local agents to central services and organizations. They are responsible for the administration and supervision of other decentralized services in their area, as well as for the coordination of local School Advisors.

Each Regional Education Directorate consists of the following:

• a) An Administration Department
• b) A Department of Pedagogical Guidance for Primary Education and
• c) A Department of Pedagogical Guidance for Secondary Education

The following services come also under the respective Directorates :

• The Regional Further Education Centres (PEK)
• The Centres of Differential Assessment, Diagnosis and Support of Special Education Needs (KEDDY)
• Regional Support and Educational Planning Centres (PEKESES)
• Environmental Education Centres (KPE)
• Pre-Primary, Primary, Special and Secondary Education Advisors
• Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education in Crete, is a large educational organization in Greece which is responsible for schools and teachers in four Prefectures, Heraklion, Rethimnon Chania and Lasithi.

It is in charge of 1100 schools of both levels of education :

• Primary Education : 866 schools
• Secondary Education : 234 schools
• 117 junior high schools,
• 74 high schools,
• 43 vocational schools.

Also a number of 12445 teachers of all disciplines work in these schools :

• Primary Education : 6460  teachers
• Secondary Education: 5985 teachers

The total number of students in the region of Crete is 98552 :

• Primary Education : 54065 students
• Secondary Education : 44487 students

The main task of Regional Directorate is to co-ordinate, supplement, back up and implement the educational policies of the Ministry, along with supervising the implementation of various education projects, like European projects, in schools.