| Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs | |
|---|---|
Minister |
Anna Diamantopoulou |
| National education budget (2010) | |
| Budget |
12,08 billion € (public) |
| General Details | |
| Primary Languages | Greek |
| Literacy (2003) | |
| Total | 98% |
| Male | 99% |
| Female | 97% |
| Enrollment | |
| Total | 1,426,175 |
| Primary | 786,025 2 |
| Secondary | 360,248 3 |
| Post Secondary | 276,902 4 |
| 1Gianouridis & Bagley, p. 62 2000-2001 schoolyear (Επαιδευτικό Ελληνικό πίνακας 6.2, σ. 24) 32000-2001; loc. cit. 41999-200; ibid., 53 | |
The Greek educational system is mainly divided into three levels, namely primary, secondary and tertiary, with an additional post-secondary level providing vocational training. Primary education is divided into kindergarten lasting one or two years, and primary school spanning six years (ages 6 to 12). Secondary education comprises two stages: Gymnasio (variously translated as Middle or Junior High School), a compulsory three-year school, after which students can attend Lykeio (an academically-oriented High School) or Vocational training. Higher Tertiary education is provided by Universities and Polytechnics, Technological Educational Institutes (T.E.I., 1983 ~ present) and Academies which primarily cater for the military and the clergy. Undergraduate courses typically last 4 years (5 in polytechnics and some technical/art schools, and 6 in medical schools), postgraduate (MSc level) courses last from 1 to 2 years and doctorates (PhD level) from 3 to 6 years.
All schools, regardless of level, are overseen by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The Ministry exercises centralised control over state schools, by prescribing the curriculum, appointing staff and controlling funding. Private schools also fall under the mandate of the Ministry, which exercises supervisory control over them. At a regional level, the supervisory role of the Ministry is exercised through Regional Directorates of Primary and Secondary Education, and Directorates of Primary and Secondary Education operate in every Prefecture. Tertiary institutions are nominally autonomous, but the Ministry is responsible for their funding, and the distribution of students to undergraduate courses. Currently the Greek government only recognises the degree programmes offered by the state-run universities although there are several private universities and colleges offering degree programmes that are validated and overseen by American, British and other European universities. The Greek government is pressured to recognise these overseas programmes.
All levels of education are catered for by both private and public schools. State-run schools and universities do not charge tuition fees and textbooks are provided free to all students. There are also a number of private tutors schools, colleges and universities operating alongside the state education and providing supplementary tuition. These parallel schools (Greek: φροντιστήριο, frontistirio (singular)) provide foreign language tuition, supplementary lessons for weak students as well as exam preparation courses for the competitive Panhellenic national examinations. Most of the students typically attend such classes (and examinations) at the tutors schools in the afternoon and evening in addition to their normal schooling.
see also Education in ancient Greece
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Elementary schools are called "Dimotiká" (demotic, meaning municipal), a carryover term from a time when such schools were run by local communities. The name remains although it has been obsolete for decades. In the first two years pupils are not officially graded, and parents obtain feedback about their performance via oral communications with teachers. Grading begins in Year 3, and written exams are introduced in Year 5. Graduating from one year to the next is automatic, and pupils with deficient performance are given remedial tutoring. Years are called "classes", from first to sixth:
Enrollment to the next tier of compulsory education, the Gymnasium, is automatic. A normal school-day starts at 8.15 and finishes from 12.30 to 16.15 depending on the class and the school. The classes last between 30 and 80 minutes. The school year always starts in the second week of September and ends in the second week of June. The students have summer vacation (3 months), Christmas vacation (2 weeks) and Easter vacation (2 weeks). Furthermore, students take usually another four days off in order to celebrate their two national holidays (28/10 and 25/3).
Basic subjects:
Additional Subjects:
Grading System:
Starts on September 11th and ends on June 15th to 18th. The lessons end in the second week of May so that the students will be able to study for their examinations between May and June. The classes start at 8.15 and end from 13.45 to 14.15 according to the type of school. Classes last from 30 min. to 45 min. and there are breaks of 10 and 5 minutes between them. Every month each school is obliged to take the students for a walk (περίπατος) and an educational excursion to a museum or theater etc. In the end of the year each school is obliged to organise 3 school trips, one for the students of the 2nd year for 3-4 days, one for the students of the 3rd year for 3-5 days and for all of the students which lasts one day. The schools usually organise trips to islands like Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu or even abroad in European cities like Paris, London, Barcelona, Lemesos, Valetta, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Berlin etc.
There are 6 types of gymnasiums in Greece:
There are much more subjects in the Greek Gymnasiums:
On April 2011, the Minister of Education, Lifelong learning and Religious affairs Anna Diamantopoulou officially announced the historic recreation of the General Lyceum. On September 12th 2011 the new system was introduced to the new students of the 1st grade of General Lyceum.
The subjects:
There is a wide range of private schools in Greece. 6% of students who attend compulsory education (the highest percent in the European Union) study in Private Schools. Tuition fees start from 1.500 euros to 13.000 euros according to the school and the year.
Greece is the birthplace of democracy so it's usual that every Greek has to get used to the use of democracy from an early age. So from the fifth year of the primary school to the third year of Lyceum elections are held.
They are held every September, all the students are obliged to elect 2 presidiums for each class which "rule" until January when the other one succeeds the first. The role of these presidiums are to primp the classrooms for the national holidays and for Christmas. Furthermore they transfer the complaints of each student to the school authorities.
There are 4 positions:
They are held every September and they are also divided in 2 parts.
In the 1st part every student elects the Presidium of his/her class.
The Class Presidium has 5 members:
In the second part students elect a School Council which has 15 members and represents the students. Its role is extremely important in every school because the School Council takes significant decisions for all the students.
The School Council has 15 members:
Higher Educational Institutes are consisted of two parallel sectors: the Universities and the Higher Technological Educational Institutes (T.E.I.). In addition, colleges collaborating with foreign universities can offer undergraduate and postgraduate UK foreign programmes of study in Greece, under the proper registration with the Greek Ministry of Education. Usually, these programmes are provided following franchise or validation agreements with universities established in other European Union countries, primarily in the UK, leading to degrees which are awarded directly by those universities. List of universities in Greece
The foremost topic of debate in recent years has been recognition of the private universities, which are forbidden by the 1975 constitution. Numerous private institutions, often franchises of European and American universities such as the University of Indianapolis and the State University of New York, but also non-profit accredited institutions, are operating legally as EES schools (translatable as "Laboratories of Free Study").
Moreover, with few exceptions, the Greek government refuses to recognize three-year university degrees. Students who completed a Bachelor's degree in a foreign country find it difficult to secure employment in the public sector, unless they next obtain a Master's degree, in which case their academic qualifications are considered equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree conferred by a Greek higher educational institute.
Following pressure from the EU member states, within the framework of the Bologna Process, Greece is revising its classification of degrees to bring it in line with the framework defined in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System/ECTS. (It is usually the goal to accomplish a bachelor degree within 3 years and a master degree within 2 years.)
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