University entry exams kick off for thousands of hopefuls

Students at vocational high schools (EPAL) in Athens sat the nationwide university entrance exams which began on Thursday, while candidates at general high schools, who constitute the majority, will start on Friday, with Modern Greek language and literature. This year candidates are vying for 68,394 seats in tertiary education, excluding military, police or merchant navy schools and academies. Exams start earlier this year as the Ministry of Education aims to announce the 2022 results earlier than previous years. The exams will run until June 17. Students are required to wear face masks. [Orestis Panagiotou/EPA]