Notes

Schooling in Greece - From Childhood towards the Third Age
As typically the tourist tsunami along with the last heat from the Greek summer expire down, people's thoughts are once once more turning to the come back to routine which usually characterises September. Possibly surprisingly for visitors, it is frequent for Greeks in order to bid their summer time farewells to expanded family, friends in addition to acquaintances in their very own holiday neighbourhoods simply by wishing them some sort of 'good winter' (??????????? = kal-o he-mo-na), even though the biting cold that will can occur during Greek winters is still far away from.

An important part of everyone’s routine, not just Greeks', of course , is schooling. September sees troupes of children returning unwillingly to the incessant mill that constitutes their very own education. Greece must surely possess the least school year within the world - approximately 32 months, not including one-day spiritual, national and local holidays. Hence pupils must work frantically throughout the chilly wintertime months so as to protect the syllabus. To be able to make matters a whole lot worse for these aspiring professionals, the lack of confidence in state education which includes developed over the last half-century signifies that most teenagers attend coaching universities or foreign dialect centres (usually called 'frontisteria') on a new weekly basis. Or perhaps they might have got private lessons.

This specific lamentably arduous method first began to evolve many years ago when university entrance examinations examined applicants' abilities and even skills at larger levels than patients they were taught during their final year involving secondary school. This specific clever state regarding affairs assured the particular wealthy elite regarding the nation of which their progeny would occupy the partial number of tertiary places available, regardless of academic capability, and consequently typically the controlling positions within the state and the particular nation generally. Inside essence, it had been a plutocratic system, intended for those days only the rich could manage to send their offspring to this kind of establishments.

Nowadays, typically the coaching college is usually so entrenched of which it constitutes a new huge industry; typically the parastatal education system - so much for free (and fair) education! And September 13 typically the race begins again - chasing items and credits in an effort to better one's position in the career and social levels, a dogged convention event with the prizes of reputation, wealth along with a comfy lifestyle awaiting the particular successful participants at the end of the long transport.

For those who don't help to make it into the top rated one or a couple of percent the alternatives are more prosaic. The fact that a high percentage of the Ancient greek workforce continues to be able to be engaged in family-based business presents graduates at just about all levels a chance to bring on the household tradition if they fail to safeguarded employment in their own chosen field. Thus, it is not uncommon in order to come across highly-qualified bakers, carpenters, shopkeepers, kiosk-owners, electricians and even hotel receptionists, to call just a few. This may end up being cold comfort after all those yrs of relentless toil, but these times work of virtually any description is much better than none.

Ancient greek language educationists have lately introduced significant improvements in the condition system, which had hitherto stood charged to be stilted, deficient creativity and as well reliant on marque learning. The arrival of technology, active teaching equipment in addition to the world broad web has changed the landscape of education globally, with Greece being little exception.

So that is unclear whether typically the Greek youth return to their sessions full of eagerness and optimism this particular year, or whether or not they'll keep on being tired with more associated with the very same drudgery dressed up inside 'technicolor' clothing. Can their fascination using cellphones, Wii, SONY PSP, P2P, social network sites and so on help or even hinder their education? The particular jury may continue to be 'out' with this matter for a while to be able to come.

Interestingly, Top Management Colleges in India with regard to education is?????????? (ek-pai-thev-si, with the 'th' pronounced as within 'the'), which literally means that 'coming from childhood'. But you can be forgiven for pondering that education has taken on a complete new meaning with the arrival of this communication and information technology. One amazing things whether this generation, sometimes called the particular 'screenagers', will ever 'emerge' from the child years. Now that's a brand new slant on life-long education, not to mention the now-blurred distinction between that process and even that other ultimate goal of education - education for living.

Which reminds me personally yet again of the ancient Greek stating, attributed to Solon, typically the Athenian reformist statesman renowned for his / her wisdom:?????????????????????? (Yir-a-sko a-ei the-thas-ko-men-os) - 'Growing old I never ever stop learning. ' Apparently some things just never alter. Have a fine winter!

Copyright Leslie Neil Evans September 2010

Leslie Neil Evans is a great Australian-Greek writer, musician and teacher who has lived plus worked on typically the Ionian island associated with Kefalonia, Greece for 17 years.
My Website: https://500px.com/p/oliversdqheller