The country has experienced the first serious economic crisis in the Eurozone which has made it a focus of attention for Europe and globally. The Greek economy has been in a very difficult position since 2009 with stagnation and negative growth. Unemployment has exceeded a record 16% with a much higher figure for those under thirty years old.
Greece remains one of the most centrally governed education systems in Europe. Over the past years, Greek governments have sought to address a number of issues through reforms. However, where reforms have been introduced they have often failed to make a real impact on the quality and efficiency of the system and to produce major results as far as the performance of students and the achievement of learning objectives are concerned. New laws have often been enacted but not fully implemented.
The importance Greeks attach to education is reflected in their political, social and family commitment to it. Education is regarded as the means of achieving social and personal progress and sustaining national cultural identity. Under the Greek constitution, every citizen has a right to equal educational opportunities. State education is provided free of charge up to and including undergraduate level, but fees are charged for most postgraduate courses, ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 euros.
The UK is the largest overseas supplier of education and training to Greece. For years there has been a high demand for overseas education because the Greek higher education system has been unable to meet the national need for places. In recent years, as more places have become available at Greek universities, numbers of Greek undergraduates studying in the UK have been declining steadily. Recently (and following the announcement of the increase of tuitions fees in the UK for undergraduate studies), there has been an increase in the expression of interest and applications for UG studies in the UK. This increase is partly due to the increased cost of undergraduate study from 2012 onwards so Greeks opt for an UG course while the fees remain affordable and partly due to a wider escape of young Greeks from Greece for better education and job prospects abroad in the current economic climate.
The Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs formulates and implements legislation, co-ordinates and evaluates regional services, administers financial support, approves primary and secondary school curricula and appoints teaching staff. Private primary and secondary schools are recognised as equivalent to state schools, and remain under the supervision and inspection of the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs. They are fully self-financed. There are also special private schools offering education to foreign nationals residing in Greece.
The Greek Constitution stipulates that higher education must be provided exclusively by state institutions. The Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs is responsible for higher education institutions, which have the right to elect their own executive bodies. Free higher education is provided by universities and university level institutions known as AEI (‘Anotera Ekpedeftika Idrymata’), and by Technological Education Institutes known as TEI (‘Technologika Ekpedeftika Idrymata’).
There are 22 AEI catering for 240,000 enrolled students, including the Hellenic Open University, offering 264 courses available throughout Greece. Most undergraduate courses take four years. First degrees in engineering, agriculture, veterinary studies and dentistry take five years. All undergraduate courses, at the National Technical University in Athens, last five years. There are 14 TEI’s offering 212 different courses located throughout Greece. TEI courses last four years and include practical training.
Over the past 15 years, Greece has experienced a dramatic increase in enrolment rates in tertiary education. The numbers of students completing upper secondary education has increased as well as the numbers of students taking the university entrance examinations. The demand for tertiary education has risen as reflected in the numbers of students taking the university entrance examinations, but the actual numbers entering the system in any year is determined by the Ministry of Education.
There is increased availability of and demand for Greek postgraduate courses. One out of seven graduates is enrolled on Greek postgraduate courses. Postgraduate courses are open to both university and TEI graduates. Although TEIs are now fully authorised to award postgraduate titles,TEI authorities are still keen to form partnerships with foreign universities in order to jointly provide postgraduate opportunities for their graduates. Under Greek law, both the recognised foreign education institution and the local TEI issue the awards.
In 2010, the Greek government allowed the operation of private, post-secondary institutions with the scope to offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in partnership with foreign (mainly European) universities. These courses are eligible to professional recognition; no academic recognition is awarded yet by the Greek state.
English, the first foreign language of Greece, is seen as the key to communication with the European Union and the world. Competence in English is considered by parents and employers to be an essential skill, therefore, the demand for it is very high and many thousands of Greeks take UK examinations in English each year.
In the current economic context, with the need to get best value for spending, Greece is trying to address inefficiencies in its education system and is taking actions to address them. These include: transforming governance and management structures, eliminating, consolidating or merging small and inefficient units, making significantly better use of human resources, improving quality-assurance and information systems for accountability, and establishing far more effective structures to lead and sustain the implementation of reforms.
Predictions about future student numbers are not easy and trends will be influenced by the extent to which Greece successfully implements its plans for improving its higher education provision through expansion, reform and investment. Greek parents, many of whom value the qualities of UK education and the international currency of a UK degree, may adopt a wait-and-see attitude to proposed local changes before taking firm decisions about their children's undergraduate education. The adverse financial problems in Greece may force young students and/or young unemployed people to search for study opportunities in the UK with the scope to improve their job seeking opportunities.
Continuing high local demand for UK education is reflected in the fact that over 30,000 educational enquiries are made each year to the British Council's offices in Athens and Thessaloniki. Over 12,000 Greeks visit the Education UK exhibitions every year seeking information on UK courses. Greece probably has the highest proportion of UK alumni per head of population of any overseas country. Furthermore a growing number of Greeks (currently around 5,000 in total) are choosing UK courses offered by Greek local representatives.
The British Council Greece operates from two offices, in Athens and Thessaloniki. The main areas of work are Examinations, English, Education Services and Projects in the Arts, English, Education and Society.
Education Services focus mainly on counselling and promotion activities: outreach presentations, provision of education information, specialised seminars (Medical Training in the UK, Pre-departure Seminar), counselling and assistance with university applications, verification and translation of education documents.
Education UK exhibitions have been organised in Athens and Thessaloniki since 1990. The Greek public appreciate the opportunity to receive information in person from the representatives of UK higher education institutions. Around 70 UK institutions participate in our annual exhibitions and hundreds of young people and parents annually attend our weekly education UK information sessions and promotional events all over Greece. We work closely with schools, HEIs, alumni, education agents and other education suppliers. A course in ‘Promoting UK education and training’ designed by the British Council runs every year in Greece, with the aim to increase local agents’ capacity to promote the UK as a study destination.
We work on policy issues of joint interest such as academic and professional recognition of UK degrees / courses delivered in the UK and in Greece and quality assurance policies. We encourage and facilitate dialogue to build a solid and lasting basis for these relationships. We will expand the current spectrum of relationships by focusing on the internationalising agendas of Greek and UK HE institutions and identifying common areas of interest and opportunities.
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