The Ministry of Education recently decided to extend the school year and abolish a number of school holidays in order to address the problems caused by set-backs and delays. The decision has prompted a general discussion regarding the structure of the academic year, which in turn has unveiled some rather interesting facts.
Despite the impressions created about holidays in Greece, Greek students have far fewer holidays and resting days than other European students. On average, OECD member states allocate four weeks of holidays (including Christmas, Easter, etc), with the an average of 10 single days off in the EU. School teacher Stratos Stratigakis revealed to To Vima that only Britain has fewer vacations.
Mr. Stratigakis explained that the particularities of each country has an effect on the school year structure; it Greece for example, teaching over the summer is impossible, as most schools do not have air conditioning and class rooms typically have about 27 students. This results in longer holidays in the summer than in the winter.
Teachers in Greece believe that the number of hours allocated for teaching are enough, but have also complained that the exam periods tend to be too long. They point out that this is an inherent matter of design, since the education system is focused on exams.
Mr. Stratigakis argues that for decades the Ministry of Education has consistently failed to make appropriate plans to ensure that schools run smoothly, rather than wasting valuable teaching hours at the start of each school year.
