Education Developments
Published by deviousdiva January 9th, 2008 in Education.I was very pleased and surprised to read these two short entries at the Southeast European Times in the Science and Technology section.
Greece’s Education Ministry announced plans on Thursday (January 3rd) to prioritise environmental education in schools, in which currently only 15% of students participate. In junior high, environmental lessons are offered on a voluntary basis after school, while in primary schools two hours per week are allotted to the topic
and
Greece’s Education Ministry announced it will hold tenders in the coming months to supply PCs to schools. The ministry plans to distribute 20,000 laptops to pupils in the sixth grade in primary school and second year of high school
I hope both of these initiatives actually happen and that they are not just paying lip service to some much needed improvements to the education system. I am, on the whole, happy with the education the kid receives at state school here. There is too much emphasis placed on learning by heart and copying and not nearly enough on developing ideas and independent thinking but I think that is the case in many countries. I could be very wrong but that is what I am guessing ?
We have been very fortunate to have excellent teachers in the kids’ school and that is what good education very often hinges on. A Greek friend of mine was talking about another local school she knows well, where the kids are terrified to speak up in class or ask questions because of their bullying teacher. Horrible.
Computer education is a must these days if our children are going to be equipped to deal with life beyond school. We are extraordinarily lucky to be a three computer family. We have a mac each ! Many people here in Greece have no computer at home, let alone the internet. The kid comes home quite often with projects that need research on the internet and I ask him what the kids do if they don’t have access. Well… they just don’t do the work.
When I was a kid we had extensive free public libraries. In Greece, they are rare or non-existent and books are considered somewhat of a luxury. I do miss second-hand bookstores and cheap bookshops because I was always a voracious reader. The kid has a fair-sized library and I hope, if I did one thing right as a mum, I have passed on my love of reading. However, computer education is essential.
Fortunately the kid does get some informal environment education via science classes but his school does not have after school options for fifth and sixth grade pupils. I have tried to instill an environmentally-friendly ethic with the kid but there is nothing like getting them involved in school via projects.
I keep thinking about what an untapped resource schools are. Kids love to be doing stuff. With their friends/class. Especially if it’s outside the classroom. Imagine if (for just one hour a week), school kids were out in their neighborhood… planting trees, recycling, telling grown-ups what they should be doing, lobbying their local MPs…
Here’s hoping.
UPDATE: From the Southeast European Times
US software tycoon Bill Gates will arrive in Greece on January 28th to open a Microsoft innovation centre in Athens. He will also meet with government officials and members of the business community to discuss software piracy, the use of information technologies, and laptop computers for students.
Technorati: 
The state of Greek schools is a crime. In fact, here on the Peloponnese the schools look like small prisons that have not been kept up. Peeling paint, bars for fencing, buckled sidewalks. And that’s just the outside. The classrooms are poorly lit, and have holes in the walls from earthquakes and just plain wear.
And then there’s the girls’ bathrooms in the High Schools - what are known everywhere except in Greece as Turkish toilets. Tiled foot rests instead of toilet seats. How are children expected to learn under these conditions?
Greece should be ashamed!