A meeting was held today at the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (MESY) between the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Mr. The meeting was also attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Education and Youth, Mr. Prodromos Prodromos and the secretariats of the educational organizations OELMEK and OLTEK. Neophytos Papadopoulos and the Directors of Secondary General Education and Secondary Technical Vocational Education and Training, Mr. Kyprianos Louis and Mr. Elias Markatzis.
During the meeting, the Minister informed the representatives of teachers about a series of innovations that have been recently decided and should be implemented from the next school year 2023-2024.
Specifically, the following information was provided:
- On the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Education and Science to the Council of Ministers to abolish the procedure for purchasing services to serve the needs of the Ministry's programmes and to replace them with employment contracts.
- On the establishment of special committees for the evaluation and possible adjustment of curricula, in order to make use of the new curricula that have recently been prepared in Greece for the whole range of education, on the basis of an agreement reached between the Ministry of Education and Science and Science and the Council of Ministers.
- On the establishment of special committees for the evaluation and possible adjustment of curricula, in order to make use of the new curricula that have recently been prepared in Greece for the whole range of education, on the basis of an agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science and the Council of Ministers.
- On the proposal to strengthen and better adapt the procedures related to Special Education, which will be submitted to the Council of Ministers tomorrow, with the establishment of an Evaluation Centre and other arrangements.
- For the Proposal for the extension to all cities of the Full Day High School Interdisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Learning Programme, with emphasis on the Greek Language and the S.T.E.A.M. scientific/technological applications programme
- For the launch of Skills Workshops in high schools from the next school year.
- For the implementation of the recently passed legislation on holistic sex education across the whole spectrum of education, in order to find ways to integrate Sex Education Seminars in high schools and TESECs.
- For arrangements and actions to be taken forward in the event that the House of Representatives approves the bill prepared for the Evaluation of Educational Work and Teachers Bill.
A special reference was made by the Minister to the new Student Evaluation System that has been implemented in recent years.
Mr Prodromou said that with the approval of this legislation, for the first time there are available uniform and reliable data on a nationwide scale on learning outcomes at every stage of education from the first grade to the end of high school and that this allows for better supervision and guidance, as well as appropriate adjustments to the teaching process. He noted that from the starting point there was the knowledge, based on the longitudinal results of the Pancyprian Examinations, that a further effort to improve learning outcomes was needed.
Specifically and to look at the case of language education, which is the core of education, as of 2012 we knew, he said, that about a quarter, 24% of students, had a performance in Modern Greek between 1 and 5. There may have been some progress over time, since in 2021 the corresponding low learning outcomes were 20%. But it is still a fact that such a low performance means that a percentage of a quarter or a fifth of young citizens who were entering society or continuing at university level basically did not know our own language.
He then noted that with the data from the previous three school years we have a complete picture of the evolution of learning outcomes in the three grades of high school. In this way, it can be seen that in the first grade, 25.9 % of the students had a 1-7/20 performance in the quarterly assessment (8.4 % were 1-5/20), and proportionally more students in Technical Education should be added to this number. It is still indicative that in one IPP the percentage with a 1-7/20 performance was 41.5%.
From this school year onwards, we will also have data for high school students. In this way, and especially for the evaluation of the first quarter, we will have a picture of the learning situation of children who have just arrived four months ago from primary schools.
On the basis of such data and with a thorough examination, conclusions can be drawn and possibly plans can be made:
- For a smooth transition from primary to secondary school.
- For possible supportive measures in primary education.
- For better guidance and allocation of students to the various P.E.D.'s and Directions in high school etc.
In conclusion, he stated that apart from the sacred obligation of the state to provide children with as much and as good as possible, there is also a question of accountability of the public school to the society.
In a way, there is a question of accountability of the public school to the society. He urged teachers to consider that, according to data he tabulated, between 2016/17 (when the new student assessment process was approved) and 2021/22, the number of secondary school teachers increased from 6,350 to 7,082, an increase of 11.5%, while the number of secondary school students decreased from 45,448 to 45,357, a decrease of 1.7%. That is, for a slightly reduced number of students, the State and the taxpaying citizen financed the employment of additional teachers with many millions. For this reason alone, we should not only closely monitor the learning performance of the students at every step, but also be able to give an account of some progress. We should therefore be able to see, comprehensively and continuing with a reliable assessment system, what happens to a significant proportion of children who start secondary education in a situation characterised by a "risk of illiteracy", and how each generation of pupils progresses in secondary education.
He concluded by stressing that when we talk about the Greek language we are referring to the core of learning outcomes, which are the first objective of education. Not, of course, the only one, since we aim to form characters and citizens with a set of skills, but the main one.
The Minister added that listening, especially from the side of the OELMEK, to some voices for a change in the system and the adoption of a single assessment at the end of the school year, instead of two sectional assessments in the quarters, he does not see a substantial change, but rather more pressure on students. In either case, he said, we should agree that there will be a reliable and fair process that is commensurate with the desired learning outcomes. Therefore, practical arrangements are probably a secondary issue.
To this end, he urged the OELMEK to support the legislative proposal made by the Ministry before last summer to reduce the number of examinable courses in high school to two (instead of four), should it be reintroduced in Parliament.
He also asked the OELMEK to support the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Science for a clear reduction of the minimum number of written exercises (tests) in the framework of the "oral evaluation", which corresponds to the largest part (60%). So that, he said, on the basis of the alternative ways of evaluation provided for in the legislation, multiple exams and unnecessary pressure on students are avoided. Written assessment will be given every four months, he said. There is no need to add more during the course. He concluded that he would also like to see the OELMEK assist the Ministry's work and exert a guiding influence on its members in line with the common understanding that there is no need for excessive written examinations.
In addition, the Minister recalled that the current legislation on student assessment - which had received the support of both OELMEK and OLTEK when it was passed - provides that when the new assessment system is implemented every four quarters, i.e. at the end of the current school year, a comprehensive assessment will be carried out and possibly improvements can be discussed. He explained that in the Directorate of Secondary Education, for some time now, an Examination Quality Control Team has been set up and has been operating with studies and scientific statistical measurements, whose work is also aimed at this planned evaluation.
Finally, the Minister provided information on the inclusion of both Sex Education, in accordance with the legislation recently approved by the House of Representatives, and other subject areas in the Skills Workshops that will be set up. Specific reference was made to Traffic Education and Road Safety, according to planning to be done in the coming period in collaboration with both the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works and the Police, and financial planning in the context of the relevant National Strategy recently approved by the Council of Ministers.
Specifically on the inclusion of Sex Education in the school curriculum, he stressed that planning has been done so that the existing Timetable is affected as little as possible and this is feasible in Primary Education and High Schools, while additional arrangements should be made for the inclusion of special seminars in High Schools and TESECs.
It was clarified that the organization of Skills Workshops in high schools will be possible as long as the legislative proposal for the abolition of stagnation in such a way that there will be time available within the Timetable Programme is passed by the House of Representatives.
Otherwise, it was noted that the matter would have to be processed by the established Timetable Monitoring Committee, as would also be the case for the inclusion of Sex Education Seminars in High Schools and TESEC.
It was clarified that the teaching and responsibility for the workshops and seminars will be the responsibility of the teachers who have hitherto been responsible for teaching the respective courses, with adjustments for any additional needs or for the other subjects.
It was also informed that processes have already started for the adaptation, definition or completion of the respective curricula and the preparation of any necessary teaching/learning materials by the end of the first quarter of the year, followed by teacher training. The aim is to have the processes completed before the start of the next school year.
(NG)
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