Universities given ultimatum
Education Ministry says remote exams for faculties currently under occupation are mandatory
The Ministry of Education has clarified to universities that remote exams for the current winter semester are mandatory for schools and faculties that are under occupation, holding the leaderships of the institutions and academics accountable for any loss of the examination period for students.
On January 25, the ministry had issued a circular to institutions of higher education stating that under the current circumstances of occupation online exams are obligatory under the law.
“The conduct of student examinations, written and oral, is also allowed through electronic means (digital examinations) where it is not possible to conduct the assessment of students in person or use the infrastructure of institutions of higher education to conduct the examination process,” the circular noted.
This was followed on January 29 by an extended meeting of the Rectors’ Synod, which stated that the priority is the smooth completion of educational processes with the use of remote methods, if required.
To this end, the synod stated, institutions of higher education will determine the available technical means and the optimal time-frame through decisions of their senates.
The senates – the highest academic body of each university – adopted the proposal of the Rectors’ Synod, albeit with asterisks, as was the case with the Senate of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).
In its decision, the Rectors’ Synod recommended that “remote examinations should be conducted in cases where, according to the lecturers, the integrity of the procedure is guaranteed.”
The only senate that differed from the resolution of the Rectors’ Synod is that of the University of Patras, which decided that the winter semester examinations should not be held digitally now but in person at the end of the summer semester (June and July).
However, in the past few days there have been faculties and departments that decided not to go ahead with digital examinations, insisting that the integrity of the process is not ensured.
In response, the general secretary for higher education, Odysseas Zoras, issued a new clarification of the first circular on Friday, which says that the universities are obliged to follow the instructions of the Education Ministry.
