By Eugenia Manolidou
Head of studies
In an era of constant technological acceleration, the educational process is being redefined in terms of innovation and efficiency. Yet the future is not determined solely by what machines can do, but by what is still worth doing by humans — something that makes classical and humanistic studies more relevant than ever.
The student of the future must be a skilled user of digital tools, but technological proficiency should be accompanied by critical reflection, historical awareness, and an inner sense of direction. Only then can the use of means serve a purpose: the formation of free and responsible individuals.
At the same time, this student is the heir to a language of centuries, to a civilization that passes down memory and critical thought. Within them lies the ability to think freely, to draw meaning from the wisdom of ancient texts.
Greek is a “language of thought,” as Jacqueline de Romilly described it; a bearer of memory and values. Love of learning, interpretive patience, a dialogic relationship with the past — these cannot be programmed. They require spiritual alertness, which is perhaps the most timely demand of education today. It is no coincidence that abroad, knowledge of Ancient Greek and the Classics is considered a sign of high cultural cultivation. Universities, students, and research centers are turning again to Greek texts, seeking answers that transcend current affairs thanks to their embedded modes of thinking: slow reflection, semantic precision, inner discipline.
It is now widely understood that tradition does not obstruct progress. On the contrary, it resists oblivion and offers continuity, orientation, and measure to whatever new is being built. And without a sense of cultural continuity, no progress is sustainable. The student of the future, therefore, cannot merely be a recipient of information, but must be shaped as a bearer of meanings. And this cannot arise from the speed of media, but from the quality of foundations.
Source: Education Leaders, Sunday edition of To Vima, June 29th 2025.