SYRIZA Supports Abolition of National Exams

As Pan-Hellenic National Exams come around, SYRIZA has promised a new way of entering higher education institutions. The opposition party criticized the current system and left open the possibility of abolishing it, referring to “free access to higher education”. SYRIZA representatives stated that “pan-Hellenic exams have always been a life-long test, a marathon run at vast financial and psychological cost to the students and their families.” “The academic community and wider society know very well that these exams are unfair and they amplify social discrimination, class division, competition and elimination among other flaws.” SYRIZA also attacked examination procedures in early grades at high school saying that: “Their goal is to reduce the number of students graduating from high school and force them to undergo early, non-official, post-junior high school training resulting to unpaid, exploitive apprenticeship.” The party also underlines that 1.57 million euros were given to build a depository of exam questions instead of hiring 1,000 substitute teachers to fill an important gap in Greek schools. SYRIZA education policies include a 12-year obligatory education and a two-year obligatory pre-school education, unified high schools and public post-high school technological training, free access to higher education and co-ordination of research and universities.

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