The basic pillars of sweeping reform for the new Litchi and the national diploma planned by the Ministry of Education was presented by Mrs. Sofia Zacharaki to members of the Standing Committee Educational hypotheses her House.
At the same time, the minister made it clear that the changes would not be surprised by students and parents, explaining that the new system will apply from 2029-30.
“It is a national debt to start the dialogue for the National Baccalaureate. It is a central government choice, as announced by the prime minister himself and is part of our broader planning for a high school that regains his autonomous pedagogical role. There is a need to redefine the student’s relationship with the school, “the introductory said Minister of Education To add that the introduction of the National Baccalaureate implies “Change of philosophy.
We shift the weight from the centered logic to a logic that emphasizes the student’s overall journey and progress and enhance the educational role of High school».
According to Ms. Zacharakis, the main objective is to provide modern knowledge and skills, which will be certified by a single, reliable and powerful degree in secondary education.
“This is a very wide footprint:
○ It concerns about 230,000 high school students each year,
○ of 23,500 teachers,
○ families,
○ Universities and the labor market, ”he noted.
The reform will be based on 3 pillars:
○ Trust in high school as autonomous educational grade
○ the reinforcement of fair and transparent evaluation
○ Ensuring a smooth transition to higher education
At the same time, the minister described the actions to decentralize the Educational system.
“In many countries in Europe, we observe the adoption of decentralized education systems. The Ministry of Education charts the national strategy, but pedagogical and administrative supervision is often practiced at a regional level (eg Federal State, Educational Cantons).
This model also extends to higher education access system:
- exams are organized locally by special committees
- Themes are common at national level, ensuring single criteria
In some countries there is a preparatory year between compulsory and higher secondary education. So students take time and support so that they can choose their educational direction more consciously, ”he said.
Citing Model of Introduction to Universities Ms Zacharakis said: “Most countries are organizing central exams at the end of the school, in 3-4 basic courses (such as national language, mathematics and a foreign language). Subsequently, universities have the opportunity to set additional criteria, such as special courses or minimum entry bases – a practice applied to Greece as well as in Hungary, among others. Of particular interest is the model of “Matura”, which acts as a single graduation and access title in Higher Education in: Hungary, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Liechtenstein.
Example worth mentioning is the Estonia and the Latvia:
- There, access to universities is free, with the only prerequisite for the Bachelor’s Degree.
- The success of these countries, as recorded in international indicators, is not due to a single mechanism, but to broader education, professionalism, design and confidence in the education system.
All of the above examples are not offered for mechanistic copying. On the contrary, they show that there are plenty of solutions, depending on the culture, the needs of each country, its historical journey and all the factors that uniquely shape each education system.
· Greece is entitled to and can proceed to its own bold but balanced reform, such as the one we propose with the National Baccalaureate.
· The National Examination Organization (EEA) proposes the link between nationwide exams with the National Baccalaureate, as applied in many European countries (Matura, Abitur, Baccalauréat). “
However, Ms Zacharakis made it clear that the changes that the ministry is preparing will not be surprised by students and parents. “The changes will not affect students already in high school. It would be irresponsible to make changes on the go, ”noting that the new system is referred to 2029 -2030.