C. Safeguarding human rights The challenge of the refugee crisis in the spring of 2016, in view of the start of the next school year (2016-2017), to prepare a program for the educational integration of these children, according to the special needs and conditions of their stay. The project was and is, without doubt, a particularly demanding endeavour for the competent ministry, since it pertains to significant numbers of heterogeneous populations of a school age, a big percentage of which come from war zones and/ or have experienced extreme hardships. Also, they have different needs and family planning, a different educational background and academic level, different presence and distribution at places on the mainland and the islands, and different frameworks within which they used to live and are currently living. At the same time, we could not overlook, during the formulation of the educational policy for these children, the pressure exerted due to the cautious - if not negative - attitude of certain local communities to the possibility of (especially of a massive scale) inclusion of third country nationals in the schools of their area. Within this framework, the Greek State chose to implement two parallel systems: a) enrolment and attendance at the regular school curriculum (for children accommodated outside accommodation centers and facilities) and b) integration in Facilities for the Reception and Education of Refugees (DYEP) for the rest of the cases. In particular, the planning of the DYEPs aimed at meeting the need for a gradual educational integration of minor refugee populations living in accommodation centers or facilities of the Greek state or the UNHCR, and to prevent any tensions and excessive burden on the basic educational system, without the appropriate preparation. In other words, this educational choice was addressed mainly to mass populations, without social integration, and not isolated cases of children living within the urban fabric. Following the preparation of a plan by a competent committee of the Ministry of Education,193 as well as the corresponding planning of a special educational programme for the DYEPs by the Institute of Educational Policy, the programme was instituted194 and gradually, with obstacles, started to be realised from October 2016 with the establishment of new DYEPs and their corresponding staffing. In December of 2016, there were approximately 10 DYEPs in operation, with the exact number changing almost daily due to the progress of the procedure. 2.2. General findings and interventions of the Greek Ombudsman The Greek Ombudsman, in its role for the protection and promotion of children’s rights, intensified its efforts and actions during this transitional period - especially after the rapid increase of the population of minors who were residing in Greece for long periods - 195 to activate in a supportive way a mechanism for the systematic monitoring of the status of the rights of children on the move. During 2015-2016 it carried out more than 80 visits to 66 sites across the country (such as open accommodation centers, unaccompanied minor facilities, reception and identification centers, detention facilities, etc.) as well as visits to schools where children refugees are attending (both the morning programme and DYEPs). Meetings were also held with agencies, members of the Ministry of Education, the scientific committee that prepared the plan for the education of the children refugees, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, teachers and parents. At the same time, the independent authority took part in events aimed at informing and raising the awareness of local communities organised by regional directorates of education and, in general, has publicly intervened for the protection of the right to education, the protection of the image of children refugees, as well as the issue of the reaction of certain parent and guardian associations against the attendance of children refugees at the schools. Finally, the Ombudsman raised, and continues to consistently raise the issue at European level, providing information and recommendations, in the context of meetings and conferences abroad, and with a stable cooperation with the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children.196 Further to the systematic monitoring of the implementation of the planning for assuring the attendance of foreign students, the Ombudsman ascertained, as already mentioned, the intensive effort by the Ministry of Education, as well as a 193 This is the Experts Committee that was established with the purpose of assisting the work of the Committee for Supporting the Children of the Refugees with a MD in March 2016 (ΓΓ1 / 47079/ 18-3-2016). 195 To this purpose it used the support of the intergovernmental organisation UNICEF. 194 Law 4415/2016, Article 38∙ JMD 152360/ΓΔ4/16 (Government Gazette 3049 Β/23092016) which was repealed with JMD 180647/ΓΔ4/2016 (Government Gazette 3502/2016/Β/31-10-2016). 196 The recent interventions and findings of the Ombudsman on the rights of children refugees and migrants staying in our country are posted on a dedicated page on the website: www.0-18.gr. 62