Students to study for longer
University students should spend at least nine hours a day studying after they have finished classes if they are going to get the most out of their degree course, the Education Ministry will insist ahead of the new academic year, sources said yesterday. The directive will be part of a new move to award course credits to students and bring the Greek system more in line with the European Union. Under the proposed scheme, each student will have to sit through 36 to 40 weeks of classes, studying and exams each academic year. This is equivalent to up to 1,800 hours of work and will earn each student 60 credits. This means that students will earn one credit for every 25 to 30 hours they spend in class and studying. The proposed system will mean that the university year in Greece will have to be extended as it only last 35 weeks at present. The scheme has been approved by Education Minister Marietta Giannakou and is expected to be implemented should the ruling conservatives be re-elected.
