The document summarizes the Greek education system from kindergarten through higher education. It is divided into several levels: - Compulsory primary education from ages 5-12, consisting of kindergarten (1 year) and elementary school (6 years). - Compulsory secondary education from ages 12-15 at gymnasium schools. - Non-compulsory upper secondary education from ages 15-18, consisting of academic lyceum schools or technical/vocational TEE schools. - Higher education is provided at universities and technological institutions, and admission is based on national exam scores from upper secondary.

1. KALLIONTZI MYRSINI

3. It is compulsory for every
child between the age of
5 to 12 years. Consists of
the Kindergarden
(lasting 1 year) and the
Elementery school
“dimotiko” (lasting 6
years). The aim of these
schools is to provide
pupils subject-specific
knowledge and prepare
them for the role of
citizens in the society.
Grading System:
1st Year: no grades
2nd Year: no grades
3rd Year: A-E
4th Year: A-E
5th Year: 1-10
6th Year: 1-10
The best and most
common grade in the 3rd
and 4th year is A, when in
5th and 6th year is 10.

5. This level is compulsory
as well and falls into the
secondary education
level. It consists of a 3-
year school which is
called “Gymnasium”
(ages 12 to 15). The aim of
this school is again to
provide subject-specific
knowledge and teach
kids how to become good
citizens in future.
Grading system:
1st year: 1-20
2nd year: 1-20
3rd year: 1-20
Yet it is unusual for a
pupil to get 1-7, because
the lowest grade teachers
give is 8.
The best grades are 18-
20.

7. It consists of 2 different
types of schools:
The unified upper secondary,
an academically oriented
school -Unified Lyceum-
(lasting 3 years)
The technical vocational
school-TEE (lasting 3 years as
well)
The aim of these 2 schools is
to provide more extended
education and prepare
teenagers for Pan-hellenic
national examinations.
Grading system:
1st year: 1-20
2nd year: 1-20
3rd year: 1-20
Again it is unusual for a pupil
to get grades 1-7.
The best grades are 18-20.
Mutual student transfer from
one type of school to the
other is possible.

8. The Lyceum helps students
acquire a general and
comprehensive education. In the
first year of Lyceum, students
follow a common curriculum
which aims to broaden their
general knowledge. At the end of
the first year, students may opt
to follow a more
technical/vocational training
and switch to the T.E.E. Similarly
after T.E.E. students may register
in the 2nd grade of Lyceum
following the successful
completion of the first year of
technical training.
Pan-hellenic national exams
take place when the 3rd year of
the upper secondary education is
over-before summer. Those
exams are the most important
for Greek citizens because the
result defines their future.
Students from Lyceums
participate in the exams in order
to attend Universities,
Technological Educational
Institutions, Military Academies,
Merchant Marine Academies
and other post-secondary
schools. Students from the T.E.E.
participate in exams for entrance
to the Technological Educational
Institutions.

10. The Hellenic higher educational
system comprises two sectors.
Higher Education is divided into
Universities (23 )and Technological
Educational Institutions –TEI (16).
Admission to tertiary education is
based on a student’s performance in
national level examinations.
Higher education is also provided
by Higher Ecclesiastical Schools,
Merchant and Marine Academies,
the Higher Military Education
Schools, the Higher Police
Academies. However, all the above
institutions cannot offer Post-
graduate study programs but only in
cases of cooperation with the
universities which award the post-
graduate degrees.
Undergraduate courses typically last
4 years (5 in polytechnics and some
technical/art schools, and 6 in
medical
schools), postgraduate (MSc level)
courses last from 1 to 2 years
and doctorates (PhD level) from 3 to
6 years.
From the academic year 2006-2007
the minimum score necessary for
entrance to HEIs has to be at least
50% of the highest possible passing
grade.
Greece is among the 6 European
countries with no fees for tertiary
education.

13. This kind of education is provided through:
Separate education schools
Schools or classes
operating
separately or as part of
other
schools
hospitals
rehabilitation centers
adult-training institutions
for persons suffering from
chronic diseases
At home, in extremely special
conditions where a tele-
education system may be in
use.
The Diagnostic Evaluation
and Support Centres (KDAY)
are responsible for the
diagnostic evaluation and
scientific description of the
children as “special needs”.

14. There is also a number of
private tutors schools,
colleges and universities
operating alongside the
state education and
providing supplementary
tuition.
These parallel schools
provide foreign language
tuition, supplementary
lessons for weak students
as well as exam preparation
courses for the
competitive Panhellenic
national examinations.
Most of the students
typically attend such
classes at the tutors schools
in the afternoon and
evening in addition to their
normal schooling.

16. Labour market
Higher Education
Postgraduate studies(Universities, TEI- Hellenic Open University) - Hellenic Open
University
Universities
Conventional ----- Technological Education Institutes (TEI)
Secondary Education
Lykeia:
- Musical
- Ecclesiastical (self sufficient and autonomous)
- Physical Education Schools B' grade
- Special A' grade
TEE:
Β and A Level
C and B Level
IEK
GYMNASIO:
(General, Musical, Ecclesiastical, Physical Education, Special) compulsory education
Primary Education
DIMOTIKO (mainstream, All-day, Special)
NIPIAGOGEIO (mainstream, All-day, Special)
NIPIAKA TMIMATA
PAIDIKOI STATHMOI

17. The Greek educational
system is under the
supervision of the Ministry of
National Education and
Religious Affairs (YPEPTH).
According to the Greek
Constitution, the government
is required to offer free and
mandatory educational
services for all children aged 6
to 15 years (in other words, a
mandatory 9-year
educational system).
There is a special law for the
implementation of the
principle of equal treatment
regardless of racial or
national origin, of religious or
other beliefs, of disability, age
or sex orientation in
accepting students in Greek
schools.
• Equal treatment of men and
women with regards to
employment, vocational
training, and professional
development, as far as labour
and universities are
concerned.

18. All levels of education are catered
for by both private and public
schools. State-run schools and
universities do not charge tuition
fees and textbooks are provided free
to all students by the School Book
Publishing Organization.
The main source of funding is the
state budget and the European
funds.
Moreover the Greek government
increased on an annual basis and in
real figures the funding of
education.
Formal education is characterized
by the fixed length of study, the
possibility of repetition and the
award of a formal school-leaving
certificate which is the official
authorization.
As a consequence of the
classification of the educational
institutions, a title (school-leaving
certificate, degree etc.) is
compulsory for students at each
educational level in order to
continue to the next.
Students in Greece are on holidays
during the below periods:
Summer (June-August)
Easter (2 weeks usually in April)
Christmas (22nd December- 7th
January)
National celebrations (usually
lasting 2 days).

20. Facilities:
765 libraries in secondary
education
30 second chance schools
46 Adult Educational Centres
40 Parent schools
Distance Adult Learning Centres
Programs:
Joint Postgraduate Study
Programs and Joint PhDs, which
allow the use of a language other
than Greek in study programs
• Educational programs HERON
(training in new technologies)
Learning Greek as a second
language
Health educational programs
(preventing AIDS).
Programs of intercultural
education are provided to
repatriated students of Greek
origin and to students of foreign
or gipsy origin, while minority
schools are established for the
education of the Muslim
minority of Thrace.

22. There are public and private school
units of all levels and types of
primary and secondary education.
School units are characterized by
autonomous operation, regardless of
their size in terms of student
population.
Special-orientation schools (i.e.
athletic, music and ecclesiastical)
exist in parallel with mainstream
lower and upper secondary schools.
There are also experimental schools
functioning under the supervision
of Universities applying
experimental methods of teaching.
The regular school life of the
students should start from 2.5 years
of age termed as the pre-school
education, offered in institutions-
both private and public- which are
called “Vrefonipiakoi Paidikoi
Stathmoi” or creches.
In some institutions nursery classes
are combined with the
kindergardens at one single stretch.
Along with the kindergardens, the
primary schools are also in the
process, with a disciplined timetable
and an updated curriculum.

23. schools
Number of
public
schools
Number of
private
schools
Other
Kindergarten 5,640 112 5,752
Primary 5,564 161 5,725
Lower
Secondary
1,919 105 2,024
Unified
Upper
Secondary
1,267 107 1,374
TEE 475 74 549