Government to reduce test material for university exams
Greek senior high school pupils studying for university entrance examinations this year will only be tested on the material that had been taught up until mid-March, which was when the government imposed its first wave of restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Kathimerini understands.
Following the closure of all Greek schools on March 11 as part of the government’s response to the threat posed by Covid-19, pupils have been continuing their lessons online as part of a shift to distance learning that has been beset by technical obstacles, particularly in remote areas.
The Education Ministry is expected to announce in the coming days exactly what material university entrance exam students will be tested on, on the basis of proposals by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) which advises the government on educational issues.
Meanwhile a proposal by Elias Mossialos, a health policy professor and government adviser, that schools should reopen but only for senior high pupils who are preparing for exams, has fueled debate.
Questioned about this proposal by Kathimerini, a high-ranking official of the Education Ministry said it was too early for such a decision and that only the government’s team of epidemiological experts, led by Health Ministry spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras, could make such a call.
The same team of experts will decide when the exams will be held – most likely in June or early July – and how pupils will sit for them (how many in a room, at what distance apart etc).
Meanwhile, the distance learning introduced by the ministry has gathered pace, with a total of 1.8 million pupils having joined classes since last month when the initiative was launched.
