Editorial Ta Nea: Degradation

One month before she was appointed education minister, Niki Kerameos on 8 August, 2019, made a statement to Ta Nea about university admissions

Former New Democracy minister Stephanos Manos reminded her of it on twitter.
“It is irrational to admit to university students who earn a grade of 3 or 4 [out of a maximum of 20 in university entrance exams],” and she announced that a grade of 10 should be the cut-off point.

One year later a student was admitted to university with a grade point average of 0.6. Not only were the necessary reforms not implemented but the minimum grade dropped to rock bottom.

That means that students who merely stroll by an examination centre can be admitted to university.

Certainly the minister is not exclusively to blame for this degradation.

The abolition of a reform law passed by former education minister Anna Diamantopoulou, making tertiary technical school degrees equal to university degrees, the elimination of evaluations, and the constant increase in the number of students admitted resulted from the actions of previous governments.

The current government, however, had pledged deep reform. It said it would put a stop to this degradation.

It failed to do so.

Every reform especially on a vital matter that involves the survival of society bears a cost. It requires clashes with entrenched mentalities and with the interests of employees’ unionsIt requires an organised and methodical approach, persistence, and hard work.

It is often unpopular but there is no room for inertia. Nor can one reconcile oneself to lesser efforts.