EUROPOS SĄJUNGA Europos socialinis fondas

1. PROFESINIO MOKYMO METODIKOS CENTRAS EUROPOS SĄJUNGA Europos socialinis fondas ŠVIETIMO IR MOKSLO MINISTERIJA KURKIME ATEITĮ DRAUGE! Interim Presentation: GREECE Vilnius – 20 October 2006

2. Contents 1. Key Indicators & VET Structure 2. Materials Provision: Upper Secondary Level 3. Materials Provision: Tertiary Level 4. Main Conclusions 5. Study Tour Proposal

3. 1. Key Indicators & Structure

4. 1.1 Key Indicators: Macroecomic Statistics Revision in October 2006: GDP +25% 2001-2005

5. Age ISCED 26 26 Postgraduate studies Postgraduate studies 25 25 6 6 24 24 AEI AEI EAP E 23 23 A P 22 22 TEI TEI 5 5 ASPAITE 21 21 ASPAITE IEK 20 20 4 4 IEK 19 19 TEE 2nd cycle TEE 2nd cycle Eniaio Lykeio 2nd cycle 2nd cycle Eniaio Lykeio 18 18 1st 1st 1st 1st 3 3 17 17 cycle cycle cycle cycle 16 16 IEK (1) Upper secondary education IEK (1) 15 15 Gymnasio Gymnasio Lower secondary education 14 14 2 2 Lower secondary education 13 13 12 12 11 11 Dimotiko Compulsory education Dimotiko 10 10 Primary education Primary education Special education Special education 1 1 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 Nursery school Nursery school Preschool education 5 5 0 0 4 4 Crèche Crèche 3 3 1.2 General VET Structure

6. 1.3 Modern History and Development Modern Greek History Socio-economic Development 1821 1831 1864 1899 1912-13 1914-18 1920-22 1941-47 1947 1967-74 1981 1990-91 Revolution against Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Greece founded Greco-Turkish War Cretan Rebellion First & Second Balkan Wars World War I Greco-Turkish War – Asia Minor WWII & Civil War: 10% mortality Return of the Dodecanese Islands Cyprus Conflict / Dictatorship Entry into European Union Fall of Soviet Union • From agrarian to urban society • Assimilation of Greek populations living in Black Sea, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria • From net emmigration to net immigration between 1955 and 1995; over 10% of population foreign-born in 2005 • Growth of tourism, shipping and service economy • Political conflict between left and right, democracy and dictatorship, kingdom and parliamentary democracy • Balkans: from zone of conflict to zone of economic opportunity

7. 1.4 VET Priorities The state retains a primal role in education. It regulates all aspects of education, and provides the majority of funding. VET Priorities: Education National identity and language Assimilation of immigrants Regional development Unemployment mitigation and support Access for vulnerable socio-economic groups

8. 1.5 Key Players Ministry of Economics and Finance EU 3rd CSF Regular Expenditure Capital Expenditure Regional Expenditure Prefectural Expenditure Approves annual budgets & disburses funds Ministry of National Education & Religious Affairs (MNERA) Directorate of Secondary Education – Vocational Education Pedagogical Institute School Book Publishing Organisation Administrative Sector for Higher Technological Education Establishes curriculum; controls & provides 100% teaching and training materials Certifies curriculum proposed by academic councils; pays for core materials Provides 100% materials Provides partial materials 540 TEEs 16 TEIs Upper Secondary Tertiary

9. 1.6 Expenditure on IVET Estimate by NAVIGATOR Consulting Group Ltd.

10. 1.7 Key Education Indicators TEE: 2004-2005; TEI: 2003-2004

11. 2. Materials Provision: Upper Secondary

12. 2.1 Subjects • Mechanical Engineering • Electrical and Electronic Engineering • Finance and Administration • Applied Arts • Textiles and Garments • Construction • Food Technology and Environment • Health and Welfare • Chemical Laboratory Applications • Aesthetics – Hairdressing • Merchant Marine • Information Systems

13. 2.2 Materials 100% materials developed by Pedagogical Institute (PI) 100% materials provided by School Book Publishing Organisation 100% materials are free for the student Complete curriculum available on: www.pi-schools.gr New materials are developed by tender. The PI defines the precise content and page requirements (see sample). Publishers and authors tender; winner is selected.

14. 2.3 Assessment PI assessment of 1st year studies of Electrician curriculum, materials and teaching methods. Sample group: 307 of 904 trainers, representing 57% of TEE offering this course of studies. For the theoretical learning component Above their level: 88% Appropriate: 10% Below their level: 2% Is the content of books, in general, acceptable and appropriate for the level of the students? To what degree do the book contents support the didactic aims established by the analytical programme? Good to excellent: 76% Not relevant/useful: 24% How do you characterise the questions and exercises in terms of scientific rigour and relevance? Good to excellent: 77% Not relevant/useful: 23% Would the use of appropriate computer learning materials significantly help the lessons? Yes: 82% No: 18%

15. 2.4 Assessment (ii) For the practical learning component What percentage of planned exercises were not implemented due to lack of equipment? 11% of respondents: 40% 89% of respondents: 0-39% How do you assess the level and quality of equipment in your laboratory/practical training area? At or above specifications: 82% Below specifications: 18% What share of planned exercises were implemented this year? 12% of respondents: ≤ 60% 88% of respondents: 60-100% Appropriate level: 78% Inappropriate level: 22% To what extent are the exercises appropriate to the level of the students?

16. 2.5 Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths • The detailed curricula and study programmes reflect recent technological developments • Useful and relevant exercises and questions (problems to solve) • The appearance and content of books Weaknesses • The books’ level of detail is higher than the knowledge level of the students, particularly in mathematics and languages; • Mistakes and unclear points in the books • The large amount of materials • Lack of materials to prepare and accompany the instructor, particularly for laboratory exercises and practical training

17. 2.6 NAVIGATOR Assessment: Economics Material is heavily text-based. Lack of diagrams, flow-charts, practical examples (cases), photos or other material which would provide a better learning impact. Cases should be made more practical to reflect the existing conditions in SMEs and micro-enterprises, where the large majority of graduates are employed. Material should emphasize personal skills, i.e. “home economics”, as a pre-cursor to life in the marketplace. Material (books, films, eLearning) exists on the open market which may be of higher quality and is updated more regularly.

18. 3. Materials Provision: Tertiary Level

19. 3.1 Subjects 15 TEI + ASPAITE (teacher training university), offering 95 specialisations in seven major fields: • Graphic arts and artistic studies • Administration and economics • Health and welfare occupations • Technological applications • Food and nutrition technology • Agronomy technology • Music technology.

20. 3.2 General System • TEIs are independent, self-governing institutions, even if 100% of funding comes from the state. • Every instructor must provide: • The Basic Notes for his/her course (photocopied contents) • Recommended Books (usually 3-4 textbooks) • Any other materials. • MNERA provides funding directly to the TEI for materials purchase, including photocopies, internet access, etc. The School Book Publishing Organisation provides texts at the request of each TEI. • All materials are 100% free for the student.

21. 3.3 Provenance of Books & Texts • Textbooks and learning materials may be: • Greek: Developed by Greek faculty or other authors, either under specific contract, or on the open market. • International: Developed by international authors (e.g. Philip Kotler), available on the open market. • Translated: Official Greek translations of international authors and texts. Each academic council makes its decisions internally, based on MNERA curriculum standards (which reflect VET occupational standards). In some cases, MNERA may intervene in the selection of a text, but rarely.

22. 4. Conclusions

23. 4.1 Upper Secondary Level At the upper secondary level, Greece has followed a policy of extensive state control and self-development of curricula Advantages • Uniform standards and quality of materials • Economies of scale • Centralised decisions and allocation of resources • Inclusion and equitable development Disadvantages • Political patronage: role of “favourites” in public procurement • Restriction of choice • Slow decision-making and implementation • “Lowest common denominator” • Lack of quality and links between labour market needs • Lack of cost-benefit analysis

24. 4.2 Tertiary Level At the tertiary level, Greece allows only public tertiary institutions. Paradoxically, while curricula standards are set by the state, each institution has the flexibility to define and develop its own materials. Advantages • Flexibility: Institutions respond to specific, localised needs • Uniform standards through curricula • Economies of scale for core books purchased through SBPO • Centralised decisions and allocation of resources • Inclusion and equitable development • Good mix of national and international sources and texts Disadvantages • Economic patronage: role of “favourites” in public procurement • Lack of cost-benefit analysis • Structural disadvantages based on current educational system

25. 4.3 Additional Factors Education is widely seen as a public good in Greece. The commitment to free education and free textbooks and materials is a major commitment which enjoys social consensus. Students are able to keep textbooks while entering the labour market, which they might not be able to do otherwise. The link between private finance and general system sustainability has not been explored. Can the state afford the resources (particularly given future demographic needs) to finance 100% of VET development? There is a widely-perceived quality difference between public and private VET institutions at the upper-secondary and post-secondary levels. Private institutions are often perceived to be of higher quality, with more modern and up-to-date training materials. Graduates are ready and qualified to work. The entire system is undergoing policy development, at all levels, designed to improve efficiency.

26. 4.4 Strategic Matrix High amounts and high choice of finance and resources (teachers, institutions, materials) Resource Rich Political Decentralisation Political Control Resources, curricula, materials determined exclusively by the state Mix of policy options: resources, curricula, materials determined by the state and other partners Resource Poor Low amounts and low choice of finance and resources (teachers, institutions, materials)

27. 5. Study Tour Proposal

28. Objectives To meet policy-makers and main actors To observe the system in practise To observe classes and institutions

29. Schedule Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Examples of texts Presentations by trainers, authors Questions-and-answer MNERA Sec. VET Pedagogical Institute MNERA Higher Ed. School Book Publishing Organisation OEEK Vocational Training Organisation ESF / CSF Programme Management Units Morning Walking tour Visit to TEE (public/private) Visit to TEI (public/private “university”) Visit to IEK (public/private) Concluding Session Afternoon State organisations are open from 08:00 – 15:00: we will need to coordinate between opening times and transport time between locations “Official” support letters will make it easier to gain access