Greece: Bucking Tsipras, Education Minister Backs College Entrance Exams

Greece/ August 26, 2017/ Source: https://www.thenationalherald.com

Education Minister Costas Gavroglou said there should be changes to Greece’s university entrance exam methods but that students still need to be tested, at odds with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who said there shouldn’t be any requirements to get into college, in line with the Radical Left SYRIZA’s assault on excellence.

Gavroglou said the country needs a more reliable and fairer admissions system but didn’t offer a plan.

Currently, students can get into colleges and technical schools with failing grades because the method for placement is based on how many slots are available to be filled.

“The current system must change, but that does not mean that we should abolish university entrance exams,” Gavroglou said following a meeting of the government council on social policy, Kathimerini reported.

He said this year only 20 percent of candidates were accepted into one of their top five choices of school and that 18 percent were admitted despite failing their entrance exams. Greek education, at odds with its ancient origins, prefers rote memorization and parroting rather than critical thinking in many instances.

The Ministry of Education has released the results of the nationwide exams which were posted at schools across the country or on the ministry website.

According to ministry figures, a total of 104,965 students took the entrance tests this year, competing for 70,26 higher education spots, 43,758 at universities and 26,968 at technical colleges.

The centrist To Potami party earlier declared that “each day, the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks government shows in word and deed its ideological allergy to all forms of achievement and excellence.” Indeed, former education minister Aristides Baltas said “excellence in education is not a virtue,” suggesting students shouldn’t try or be tested.

Photo: Eurokinissi/Stelios Misinas

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Bucking Tsipras, Education Minister Backs College Entrance Exams