The 527 students at public schools in Maroussi who succeeded in gaining admission to tertiary educational institutions received awards for their great efforts from the Mayor of Maroussi and President of KEDE Mr. George Patoulis, who presented them with honorary commendations and symbolic gifts at the function organized for the eighth year for that purpose on Saturday 19/11/2016 at the OTEAcademy Auditorium.

In parallel with this, for the first time a monetary prize was awarded to the first of the first, the twenty five students who achieved the highest distinction in the entry examinations for Tertiary Education, with a significant contribution from the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

Moreover, with funding from the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation a significant sum of money was awarded, employing social criteria, to eight (8) first-year students studying outside Attica, to cover installation costs at their place of study. 

In a cordial atmosphere, in the presence of parents, students, teachers, people of the municipal administration and representatives of Secondary Education, the Mayor of Maroussi Mr. Georga Patoulis conveyed their warmest congratulations to all the young people, their parents and their teachers.

“Everyone here today has a goal. To honour the great effort of the young people who succeeded in gaining acceptance into Higher Education. Of course it is they who are making the effort but we must recognize that alongside the children, offering their loving support, are the parents, whom we thank as citizens of Amaroussion for the effort they themselves are making.  In spite of the very real difficulties, the obstacles can be overcome with the assistance of educators, people of culture who invest their best qualities in the contribution they make. I must say, for those at least that I have met in Maroussi, that they are performing their task selflessly and the least we can do is say “bravo” to the teachers of Maroussi, who are doing sterling work as they help to build a better future and give hope to young people,”

Mr. Patoulis noted.

In reference to the kind sponsorship of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, he said: “All together we must help our young people. Our country’s only hope of finding itself out of the woods is through preparing the new generation promptly and decisively for uplifting of the country we cherish in our dreams. Not the country whose only concern is to chase funds for the repayment of debt, but the country of development, of civilization, of history. The country that was always first in antiquity but also the latter-day Greece within Europe as a whole. We will resurrect this country and we will do it all together.”

The Secretary of the Executive Board of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, Mr. Dimitrios Afendoulis in congratulating the young people, noted:

“We all recognize the very great effort, the very great sacrifice, the pressure and the compromises that have preceded this success. We convey our warmest congratulations to the children but also to the parents and teachers who contributed to them reaching here, where they are today. Today most of you are experiencing the first weeks of your new student life and are  obviously trying to adapt to the new conditions. Our advice and encouragement to you is that you make an effort to keep this transitional period short, so as to empower you to make the most of your student life and derive maximum  benefit from it. It is a period of the utmost importance, a period when we lay the foundations both for our professional and for our social life.

Our belief,” he added. “is that an investment in education is the best possible gift that can be given to the younger generation. Unfortunately, fifty years after the time that we awarded our first scholarship we are again obliged to make grants on the basis of social criteria. Sadly, excellence, which was our basic criterion, is being obliged to take a back seat position today and we now promote scholarships to vulnerable social groups. I would like to thank Mr.  Patoulis, who gave us the opportunity to provide this symbolic assistance to children with special needs and even more symbolic help to children who have excelled and have made parents and all of us proud. I wish all of you every success, a fine career and satisfying progress.”

The President of the Municipal Education Committee Mr. Dimitris Karlaftis also conveyed his greetings to the meeting, addressing his warmest congratulations to the students, both boys and girls.