New study plan for high schools
Senior high school pupils will study fewer subjects but for longer hours and will focus more on research, according to education reform plans presented by the government on Wednesday, which aim to provide school leavers with a detailed knowledge of some subjects and good all-round schooling.
?We are trying to create a senior high school that encourages a gradual specialization at the same time as providing a sound general education of important subjects,? Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou said as she presented the most substantial overhaul of this sector of public education for some years.
In a radical departure from the past, pupils will be asked to produce research papers — one of which can be in English — every four months, which will count toward their final grades. At the moment, teenagers? grades depend on their end-of-year exam results. Diamantopoulou said the ministry has yet to finalize a new university entrance system but would be unveiling its plans in the near future.
The first year of senior high school will provide a general education with a focus on science, Greek and math. Rather than the 16 subjects that teenagers currently study, under the new scheme there will only be eight.
The second year will consist of 12 subjects with an emphasis on science and technology and humanist studies. The third year will have 10 subjects and allows pupils to focus on economics and politics.
Under the plans, pupils will attend classes for between 32 and 35 hours a week.
