Damning EC report on Greek education

The European Commission released its “Education and Training Monitor 2016” report, which among other things, notes that Greeks have poorer digital skills compared to the EU average, while there has been a reversal on tertiary education autonomy. The report also focuses on the evaluation of schools and educators, commenting that the decision by the current government to suspend the evaluation of teachers’ performance was counterproductive. Some of the key highlights of the report conclude:

-Early school leaving and tertiary educational attainment rates improved significantly and are now better than the EU average.
-Performance is disappointing on basic skills attainment by young people and adults, and on participation in vocational education and training as well as in adult learning.
-A national dialogue on education and a review of the education system are highlighting key problems such as serious underfunding, teacher staffing, equity and efficiency.
-The reversal of previous reforms aimed at increasing transparency, accountability and evaluation in schools and higher education is a matter of concern.
-Greece has adopted sectoral strategies on higher education, vocational education and lifelong learning. Their implementation will be a challenge.
-The impact of the refugee crisis on the Greek education sector remains fairly limited for the time being, but might have more far-reaching consequences in the future.