The educational system in Greece and France

by Hélène Karacontopoulos

Comenius assistant 2013-2014

The educational system in Greece

The Greek educational system

It is mainly divided in 2 levels :

● Primary education● Secondary education

All children

between the age

of 6 and 15

have to attend school.

Pre-school education

Pre-school education

● Sometimes children start their school life when they are only 2,5 years old.

● They are sent to :

- nursery classes

- kindergartens

Primary education

Primary education

Elementary school : Dimotiko

6 years(Years 1,2,3,4,5,6 in Slovakia)

from ages 6 to 12

Primary classes

Year 1 (Πρώτη δημοτικού) : age 6 to 7

Year 2 (Δευτέρα δημοτικού) : age 7 to 8

Year 3 (Τρίτη δημοτικού) : age 8 to 9

Year 4 (Τετάρτη δημοτικού) : age 9 to 10

Year 5 (Πέμπτη δημοτικού) : age 10 to 11

Year 6 (Έκτη δημοτικού) : age 11 to 12

Number or students

There are between 25-30 students per class.

School week

School week can be from 25 to 30 hours.

It depends on the grade

and if a foreign language or music is taught.

Classes are held 5 days a week,

from Monday to Friday.

● There are no classes ● in the weekend!

Morning prayer

● Every school day starts with prayer.

● A different student volunteer is picked every time to say the “Our father” prayer in front of the school assembly.

● Then the principal continues with the good mornings and announcements.

School day

Pupils have 5 to 6 hours daily.

School day usually lasts from 08:30 to 13:15,

it depends on the class and the school.

The classes usually last 45 minutes.

Breaks/Snacks

● Students have 4 breaks of 10 to 20 minutes.● They can play in the schoolyard and have a

snack.● They bring their snacks from home, or buy

something at the school canteen. ● They have regular lunch when they get back

home at around 14:00.

School year

School year starts

in the second week of September.

It ends

in the second week of June.

Blessing : Agiasmos

● Schools always start with a priest blessing the students and teachers to have a good school year.

● He sprinkles everybody with Holy water and gives a short speech.

Holidays

Students have :● summer holidays (3 months),

● Christmas holidays (2 weeks),● Easter holidays (2 weeks),● national holidays (4 days).

National holidays

● 28th of October : Anniversary of the “No” Greeks said “No” to Italians and fascism during World War II

● 25th of March : Independence day the beginning of the Greek revolution against the Ottoman Empire

Students parade.

The best student gets to hold the Greek flag.

They put on traditional costumes,

dance traditional dances, sing songs, recite poems...

Students parade.

The best student gets to hold the Greek flag.

They put on traditional costumes,

dance traditional dances, sing songs, recite poems...

Subjects

Modern Greek Language Modern Greek Literature

Mathematics Environmental Studies Physical Education

Music Art Theatrical Studies Flexible Zone English

Physics Geography History Culture Civics Religion

Social & Political Studies Second Foreign Language

Subjects

History

Year 4 : mythology and history of ancient Greece

Year 5 : Byzantine history

Year 6 : modern Greek history

Geography

Year 4 : Greece

Year 5 : Europe

Year 6 : world geography

Books

● Students have one or more books and testbooks for every lesson.

● They get them for free and they are theirs to keep.

Grading system : marks

Years 1 and 2 :

no grades

Years 3 and 4 :

Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε A being the best mark

Years 5 and 6 :

10 to 110 being the best mark

Promotion to the next grade

At the end of the school yearpupils move on to the next grade if their teacher

believes they have acquired the necessary knowledge.

Certificate

● In Years 1 to 5 they are given a certificate.

It says that they can move on to the next grade.● Pupils in Year 6 get a primary school leaving certificate.

They can move on to secondary school.

Secondary education

Secondary education

Junior high : Gymnasio

3 years(Years 7,8,9 in Slovakia)

from ages 12 to 15

Year 7 (Πρώτη Γυμνασίου) : age 12 to 13

Year 8 (Δευτέρα Γυμνασίου) : age 13 to 14

Year 9 (Τρίτη Γυμνασίου) : age 14 to 15

Gymnasio

● There are around 25 to 30 students in each class.

● Students have classes 5 days a week.● They have 7 hours of lessons a day. ● Classes start at 8.10 and end from 13.45 to

14.15 according to the type of school. ● Classes last 45 minutes and there are breaks of

15 minutes between each lesson.

Differences between dimotiko and gymnasio

● Students have different teachers for each subject.

● The best student of the class is designated apousiologos : he holds a book where he writes who is absent.

● If students are absent more than 64 days without any excuse, they have to repeat the year.

● Students have exams at the end of each term.● School year generally starts in mid-September

and ends in mid-May.● That way students can study for their exams

between May and June.

Subjects

Modern Greek Language Modern Greek Literature

Ancient Greek Language Ancient Greek Literature

Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology Religion

Social and Political Studies Physical Education Art

Music History Computer Studies Technology English

2nd foreign language School Vocational Guidance

Home Economics Geography

Subjects

Ancient Greek Literature Year 1 : Homer Odyssey

Year 2 : Homer Iliad

Year 3 : Euripides

Second foreign languageGerman, French, Italian and Spanish,

or rarely Russian and Turkish

Private lessons

● Students start private lessons in frontistiria.

They are lessons in groups.

They take place in the afternoon or the evening.● There are frontistiria :

for foreign languages

to help weak students

to prepare students for the exams.● Parents spend a lot of money for these lessons!

Students assessment

● Teachers give students marks based on daily oral work, written tests, assignments, and projects.

● There are also written examinations at the end of each term.

Excursions

Schools take their students for a spontaneous walk

once in a while, when the weather is good.

They also take them for educational excursions

to monuments, museums, theatres...

Certificate

A leaving certificate allows students

to continue their studies in high school, lykeio.

Secondary education

Secondary Education

High school : Lykeio

3 years – Not compulsory!(Years 1,2,3 in Slovakia)

from ages 15 to 18

Year 1 (Πρώτη Λυκείου) : age 15 to 16

Year 2 (Δευτέρα Λυκείου) : age 16 to 17

Year 3 (Τρίτη Λυκείου) : age 17 to 18

School trips

In the end of the year, schools organise 3 school trips :

- one for all students (1 day)

- one for Year 2 students (3 days)

- one for Year 3 students (5 days).

They usually go to Greek islands or European cities.

Exams

● In the end of May, Year 3 students sit the final exams : the Panhellenic national examinations.

● They've prepared for it all year long!

● There is a lot of competition, stress and pressure.

● Marks are important for entering at the university of their choice.

French educational system

The French educational system

It is mainly divided in 2 levels :

● Primary education ● Secondary education

Public instruction is :

● mandatory● free of charge ● secular

● Mandatory :

All children, boys and girls, between the ages of 6 and 12, have to attend school.

● Secular :

It has no connection with religion :

- all religious symbols are forbidden

- there is no religious education.

Pre-school education

Nursery school

Many parents start sending their children to nursery school, at the age of 3.

Petite section : 3-4

Moyenne section : 4-5

Grande section : 5-6pupils are introduced to reading

Primary education

Primary education

Elementary school : Ecole primaire

5 years(Years 1,2,3,4,5 in Slovakia)

from ages 6 to 11

Primary classes

Year 1 (CP:cours préparatoire) : 6-7

Year 2 (CE1:cours élémentaire) : 7-8

Year 3 (CE2:cours élémentaire 2) : 8-9

Year 4 (CM1:cours moyen) : 9-10

Year 5 (CM2:cours moyen 2) : 10-11

Number of students

There are between 20-30 students per class.

School year

The school year starts

in the beginning of September

and ends

in the beginning of July.

School week

Classes are usually held 4 days a week :

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

There are no classes

on Wednesday and on the weekend!

In areas where Wednesday is still a school day,

it is usually a half day with games in the afternoon.

School day

● School starts at 8:00 and finishes at 16:00.● Students have a 30 minutes break that they

spend playing in the schoolyard.● They have a 90 minutes or 2 hours lunch break.

They can go home or eat at the school canteen

(which they usually don't like much!).● School starts again at 13:30.

Holidays

All Saints

2 weeks around the end of October

Winter or Christmas holidays

2 weeks around Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Winter holidays

2 weeks starting in mid February

Spring or Easter holiday

2 weeks

Summer holidays

2 months starting in early July

Teacher

● There is usually only one teacher.● He/She teaches all the subjects :

French, maths, science, history...● Teachers are called maître or maîtresse.

Secondary education

Secondary education

Junior high : Collège

4 years(Years 6,7,8,9 in Slovakia)

from ages 11 to 15

Year 6 (6ème) : 11-12

Year 7 (5ème) : 12-13

Year 8 (4ème) : 13-14

Year 9 (3ème) : 14-15

Exam : le Brevet des collèges

● In Year 9, students have to sit an exam.

This exam is called le Brevet. ● They are tested in 3 subjects :

French, Maths, History/Geography/Citizenship.● They get their first official diploma.

Secondary education

Secondary education

High school : Lycée

3 years(Years 1,2,3)

from age 15 to 18

Year 1 (Seconde) : 15-16

Year 2 (Première) : 16-17

Year 3 (Terminale) : 17-18

Baccalauréat

Year 2 students have to choose which Bac they will take :

● S (science and math)● ES (economics and social sciences)● L (literature and language)● Technologique (based on technical skills)

Exam

In Years 2 and 3, they sit the exam

called Baccalauréat or Bac.

A Baccalauréat guarantees

entrance to a state university.

What is the educational system

in Slovakia like?

Pictures/Sources

www.infokids.gr - www.thegreekhousewife.blogspot.com www.imra.gr - www.5dim-polichn.thess.sch.gr - www.ethnos.gr www.dim-simantri.chal.sch.gr - www.pasaenas.blogspot.com www.imerisia.gr - www.blogs.sch.gr - www.marignier.fr www.elementary.delassale.gr - www.i-live.gr - www.gimel.ch www.ouest-france.fr - www.dangerecole.blogspot.com www.amazon.fr - www.kartmania.com - www.iconarchive.com www.greece.mrdonn.org - www.tcho.fr www.pictures88.com www.en.wikipedia.org - www.droidsoft.fr - www.dynot.net www.depositphotos.com - www.eleutherifoni.blogspot.com www.pedia.gr/edu/1/dim.html