Education alarm bells
In normal circumstances, the alarm bells would be ringing, or at least someone would be paying attention. The fact that 15-year-old Greeks have given their worst ever performance among their European peers in reading comprehension, in mathematics and in the sciences has apparently not been deemed serious enough to elicit any comment from any minister. The state appears to be asleep, while at the same time touting a «knowledge society» which it is supposedly building. This could be why the figures of the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) just keep getting worse: In 2003 Greek students occupied 32nd place in mathematics. This year they are 39th. Yet no one seems to care. The intellectuals are keeping mum, parents cannot be heard protesting and the government is simply indifferent. The OECD is ringing the alarm bells for the children of Greece, for the future of the country. Is anyone listening?
