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Primary Education
The primary education consist of general (elementary) schools – public and private. Public schools are
located all over Greece, even in its most distant areas. They offer free education and free textbooks. General
elementary schools are part of the compulsory school attendance and take six years (age of 6–12). Moreover,
there are full-day schools with more time allocated for education and more varied activities. Then there are
special schools for children with special educational needs and schools of intercultural education for children
with different culture or religion. After finishing the sixth year, the children continue in the compulsory first
stage of secondary education.
Secondary Education
The secondary education is divided into two stages – a compulsory stage (lower) and post-compulso-
ry stage (higher). The lower stage consist of so-called grammar schools (jimnasio), which take three years
in total and are designated for schoolchildren at the age of 12–15. The students are examined and evaluated
based on daily oral exams, their involvement in class activities, written tests lasting from several minutes
to a whole lesson and summary written examinations at the end of the school year. Those who fail the afore-
mentioned tests have to pass additional tests in September. Grammar school graduates obtain a secondary
school leaving certificate, which allows them to apply for studies at the higher level.
The higher stage of secondary education consist of two types of school: general lycées (eniea lykia, corre-
sponding to the Czech gymnasia) and technical vocational training schools (technika epangelmatika ekpe-
deftiria, abbreviated ΤΕΕ, corresponding to the Czech secondary vocational schools). The lycée education
takes three years, vocational schools are attended two (1st period) or three years (2nd period). Transfers
from one type of school to another are possible. Apart from daily lycées and vocational schools, there are
also evening schools. Curricula are subject to approval of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
and in certain cases, the curricula of secondary vocational schools must be approved by the Ministry of Heal-
th, Ministry of Rural Development and Food or Ministry of Development.
Apart from the aforementioned public schools of primary and secondary education, there are also special
nursery schools, general schools, grammar schools and lycées for special groups of schoolchildren. There are
special intercultural schools for foreigners, Greeks who have returned from the diaspora abroad, minority
schools for Muslims in Thrace as well as schools for children with special needs. Then there are„experimental“
schools (in collaboration with universities),„music“ schools (with an emphasis on music education),„church“
schools (with an emphasis on religious education) and„sport“ schools (with an emphasis on physical educa-
tion). Public schools provide both education and textbooks free of charge.
Secondary education also includes vocational training institutes (IEKs), providing special education and
enrolling both graduates of grammar schools (first stage of secondary education) as well as lycées (Czech
gymnasia). Unlike vocational schools, the institutes focus on the labour market and their curricula are created
in cooperation with municipalities, employers and employees.
At the end of the final year of study, the students sit so-called Panhellenic Examinations. The higher score
the student receives, the greater the chance to be admitted to university or college. Each university
and college has a certain limit required for admission. Quite logically, the limit for admission to prestigious
and high-quality universities and colleges is very high.
