Minister wants overhaul of university admissions system
Greece needs a more reliable and fair university admissions system, Education Minister Costas Gavroglou said Thursday, distancing himself from a pledge by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras earlier this year to altogether scrap the so-called Panhellenic exams.
“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.
The leftist minister said that under the current system only 20 percent of candidates are eventually accepted into one of their top 5 choices of school. Meanwhile, an 18 percent are admitted despite failing to reach the pass mark, he said.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the Ministry of Education released the results of the nationwide exams. Results were being put up at schools across the country, but candidates could alternatively check their marks on the ministry website.
According to ministry figures, a total of 104.965 students took the entrance tests this year, competing for 70.726 higher education spots, 43.758 at universities and 26.968 at technical colleges.
