2. Education in Greece
Ministry for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious A
• National education budget (2010)
12,08 billion € (public) 4% of GDP
• Literacy
Total 98% Male 99% Female 97%
• Enrollment
Total : 1,426,175
Primary : 786,025
Secondary : 360,248
Post Secondary : 276,902
3. Three Levels
The Greek educational system is
mainly divided into three levels:
• primary,
• secondary and
• tertiary, with an additional post-
secondary level providing vocational
training.
4. Three Levels
• Primary education is divided into kindergarten lasting
one or two years, and primary school spanning six
years (ages 6 to 12).
• Secondary education comprises two stages:
Gymnasio (variously translated as Middle or Junior
High School), a compulsory three-year school, after
which students can attend Lykeio (an academically-
oriented High School) or Vocational training.
• Higher Tertiary education is provided by Universities
and Polytechnics, Technological Educational Institutes
and Academies which primarily cater for the military
and the clergy.
5. Primary Education
Elementary schools are called
" Dimotiká " (demotic, meaning
municipal), a carryover term from a
time when such schools were run by
local communities. The name remains
although it has been obsolete for
decades.
In the first two years pupils are not
officially graded, and parents obtain
feedback about their performance via
oral communications with teachers.
6. Primary Education
Grading begins in Year 3, and written
exams are introduced in Year 5.
Years are called "classes", from first
to sixth:
Year 1 : age 6 to 7
Year 2 : age 7 to 8
Year 3 : age 8 to 9
Year 4 : age 9 to 10
Year 5 : age 10 to 11
8. Primary Education
Additional Subjects:
•Physics (2 hours/week years 5 and 6)
•Geography (2 hours/week years 5 and 6)
•History (2 hours/week years 3-6)
•Religion (2 hours/week years 3-6)
•Social & Political Studies (2 hours/week years 5 and 6)
•Second Foreign Language (2 hours/week years 5 and 6)
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
9. Secondary Education
Gymnasium - Middle / Secondary School (compulsory education)
– 1st grade, age 12 to 13
– 2nd grade, age 13 to 14
– 3rd grade, age 14 to 15
Starts on September 11th and ends on June 15th to 18th. The
lessons end in the second week of May so that the students will
be able to study for their examinations between May and June.
The classes start at 8.15 and end from 13.45 to 14.15 according
to the type of school. Classes last from 30 min. to 45 min. and
there are breaks of 10 and 5 minutes between them.
Every month each school is obliged to take the students for a
walk (περίπατος) and an educational excursion to a museum or
theater etc. In the end of the year each school is obliged to
organise 3 school trips, one for the students of the 2nd year for
3-4 days, one for the students of the 3rd year for 3-5 days and
for all of the students which lasts one day. The schools usually
organise trips to islands like Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu or
abroad in European cities like Paris, London, Barcelona,
Lemesos, Valetta, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Berlin , etc.
10. Secondary Education
There are 6 types of gymnasiums in Greece:
• General Gymnasium (entering there from the
primary school is automatic)
• Athletic Gymnasium (to enter this type of school
students must pass certain exams on a sport like
basketball, football, volleyball, gymnastics, polo,
swimming etc)
• Musical Gymnasium (to enter this type of school
students must pass certain exams on a musical
instrument)
• Art Gymnasium
• Experimental Gymnasium
• Church Gymnasium
11. Secondary Education
There are much more subjects in the Greek
Gymnasiums:
• Modern Greek Language (2 hours/week)
• Modern Greek Literature (2 hours/week)
• Ancient Greek Language (3 hours/week)
• Ancient Greek Literature (Homer Odyssey-1st
Year, Homer Iliad-2nd Year, Euripides Helen-
3rd Year), (2 hours/week)
• Mathematics (4 hours/week)
• Physics (2 hours/week and only for years 2 and
3)
• Chemistry (1 hour/week and for years 2 and 3)
• Biology (2 hours/week and for years 1 and 3)
• Social and Political Studies (2 hours/week and
for year 3)
12. Secondary Education
• Physical Education (2 hours/week)
• Art (1 hour/week)
• Music (1 hour/week)
• History (2 hours/week for years 1&2 and 3
hours/week for year 3)
• Religion (2 hours/week)
• Computer Studies (1 hour/week)
• Technology (1 hour/week and for years 1&2)
• English (2 hours/week)
• 2nd foreign language (German, French and
Italian ) 2 hours/week)
• School Vocational Guidance (1 hour/week)
• Economics (1 hour/week for year 1 and 2
hours/week for year 2)
• Geography (2 hours/week)
13. Secondary Education
General Lyceum - High School
On April 2011, the Minister of Education, Lifelong learning and
Religious affairs officially announced the recreation of the
General Lyceum. On September 12th 2011 the new system
was introduced to the new students of the 1st grade of
General Lyceum.
1st grade, age 15 to 16
The subjects:
• Greek Language (Ancient Greek, Modern Greek Literature
and Composition - 9 hours/week)
• Religion (2 hours/week)
• Ancient History (2 hours/week)
• Maths (5 hours/week)
• English (3 hours/week)
• Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology - 6
hours/week)
• PE (3 hours/week)
14. Private Schools
There is a wide range of private schools in
Greece. 6% of students who attend
compulsory education (the highest percent
in the European Union) study in Private
Schools.
Tuition fees start from 1.500 euros to
13.000 euros according to the school and
the year.
