ATHENS – Greek teachers planning a strike in protest over a requirement thir performance in class be evaluated have lost a court bid to bar that scheme but said they will continue to resist.

An Athens court declared a strike unlawful and probibited teachers unions from proceeding with any attempt to stop working but teachers remain defiant against mandatory evaluations being brought by the New Democracy government.

Education Minister Niki Kerameus had sought an injunction from the First Instance Court in Athens to block the strike and later said that, “We are proceeding with the evaluation, which is an important parameter in the overall upgrade of education,” a'lthough the only punishment for failure is remedial seminars.

The strike call was issued by Greek primary teachers’ federation (DOE), the secondary school teachers’ union (OLME), the federation of associations of special education staff (POSEEPEA) and the the federation of private school teachers (OIELE).

Teachers at each of the country’s 14,000 schools were supposed to submit annual plans to the Education Policy Institute by Oct. 20 but most have not done so yet, reported Kathimerini.

The law provides for principals to submit the plans, on the basis of which assessment will take place, and even calls for sanctions if they don’t, but at least some principals plan to resist, the paper added.

Unions are fiercely resisting any reintroduction of assessments that were terminated by Greece’s first  Socialist government, PASOK, in 1982 and teachers don't want to be graded although that's what they do with their students in class.