Status of Education in Greece
Greece’s educational system is divided into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. There is also an additional post-secondary level which provides vocational training. The primary education level is divided into kindergarten; which lasts one or two years, and primary school; which lasts for six years. Secondary education in Greece is comprised of two stages. The first is Gymnasio (or Middle/Junior High School), which is a compulsory three-year school. After those years students can attend Lykeion (Greece’s version of high school) or Vocational training. Tertiary education is Greece’s higher education, similar to our colleges, and is provided by Universities, Polytechnics, and Technological Educational Institutes. Academies also exist in Greece, but they specifically cater for the military. Undergraduate courses typically last 4 years, postgraduate courses last from 1 to 2 years, and doctorates from 3 to 6 years. From the above information you can see that Greece is very similar to the United States of America in their levels of education.
The first goal of the UN’s Global Education First Initiative is to “put every child in school”. Greece is wildly successful in this area, having an enrollment rate of children in primary school at 98.8% for males, and 99.3% for females. Secondary school is almost as successful as primary school enrollment, with 98.2% of males, and 97.9% of females attending, according to UNICEF.
The second goal of this initiative is to “improve the quality of learning”. This goal is met by a large group of schools in the country called “Greece Schools”. These schools are internationally renowned institutes that offers quality education to domestic, as well as foreign students. According to Maps of the World, the Schools of Greece are known for having a highly efficient, and very helpful, trained staff to teach the students. They engage in many cultural and social activities, and the curriculum is college preparatory (utilizing texts/materials from the United States and Europe). English, Modern Greek and French are the foreign languages taught in most of these schools. As you can see, the quality of learning in these school’s far exceeds expectations.
The third and final goal is to “foster global citizenship”. Greece does this by offering many study abroad programs and the ability for foreign students to receive education from Greek schools with very little difficulty. I know many students who have gone to Greece for study abroad programs and absolutely loved it. Extensive foreign language programs are also available in the Greece Schools, and they are known for providing excellent ground for growth and development of the students from all countries.
As you can see, Greece is a very well developed country that takes education very, very seriously. In a lot of ways, they are very similar to the United States. My research has shown that Greece is an ever expanding country with their educational systems only improving. I believe that they meet all three of the UN’s Global Education First Initiative Goals.
Sources:
“Greece Education”. Maps of the World: Current, Credible, Consistent. (2014). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/education/
“Priorities”. Global Education First Initiative. (2011). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/priorities.html
“Statistics”. UNICEF: At a Glance: Greece. (2013, December 26). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/greece_statistics.html
The first goal of the UN’s Global Education First Initiative is to “put every child in school”. Greece is wildly successful in this area, having an enrollment rate of children in primary school at 98.8% for males, and 99.3% for females. Secondary school is almost as successful as primary school enrollment, with 98.2% of males, and 97.9% of females attending, according to UNICEF.
The second goal of this initiative is to “improve the quality of learning”. This goal is met by a large group of schools in the country called “Greece Schools”. These schools are internationally renowned institutes that offers quality education to domestic, as well as foreign students. According to Maps of the World, the Schools of Greece are known for having a highly efficient, and very helpful, trained staff to teach the students. They engage in many cultural and social activities, and the curriculum is college preparatory (utilizing texts/materials from the United States and Europe). English, Modern Greek and French are the foreign languages taught in most of these schools. As you can see, the quality of learning in these school’s far exceeds expectations.
The third and final goal is to “foster global citizenship”. Greece does this by offering many study abroad programs and the ability for foreign students to receive education from Greek schools with very little difficulty. I know many students who have gone to Greece for study abroad programs and absolutely loved it. Extensive foreign language programs are also available in the Greece Schools, and they are known for providing excellent ground for growth and development of the students from all countries.
As you can see, Greece is a very well developed country that takes education very, very seriously. In a lot of ways, they are very similar to the United States. My research has shown that Greece is an ever expanding country with their educational systems only improving. I believe that they meet all three of the UN’s Global Education First Initiative Goals.
Sources:
“Greece Education”. Maps of the World: Current, Credible, Consistent. (2014). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/education/
“Priorities”. Global Education First Initiative. (2011). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/priorities.html
“Statistics”. UNICEF: At a Glance: Greece. (2013, December 26). Retrieved October 20, 2014. http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/greece_statistics.html
This chart shows the percentage of adults, ages 25–34, with Tertiary education (Associate Degree or Higher in US) from the 2010 Current Population Survey, US Census Bureau. Greece has only 28% of adults with Tertiary education, which could be an area for improvement. Source: http://www.changemag.org/archives/back%20issues/2011/may-june%202011/first-in-the-world-full.html
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Here is another chart from the 2012 Current Population Survey, US Census Bureau. It shows Greece with a rise from 28% to 31% in just two years, which is slow but steady improvement. Source: http://nepc.colorado.edu/blog/college-attainment-us-and-around-world
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Government System of Greece
Greece's Oil Producer's VS. Consumers
1. Record:
Oil Production: 7.5 Thousand barrels per day
Oil Consumption: 306.15 thousand barrels per day
2. Summarize:
Write a short paragraph explaining the information you discovered and conclusions you can draw. How does this information help you develop a sense of place for the country -- living conditions, social development, use of land or other resources, etc.?
As you can see from the information above, Greece consumes about 45 times the amount of oil that is produces. To me, this shows that Greece is a very active and advanced country. If it is using that much more oil than it is producing, then the atmosphere must be to always be up and going places/using oil powered technologies. You can definitely see that this is a first world country with modern technological advances. Although it does not really compare to America's use of 18 million barrels a day, it still uses much more than the country can produce!
3. Contemplate:
What questions does the information raise in your mind. Write down two questions you have based on what you have discovered.
1. Considering that Greece consumes roughly 300,000 barrels of oil a day, and the United States nearly 18 million, what would you say the difference in their culture and economic values are? From an educators standpoint?
2. When I think of Greece, I think of sandy beaches and donkeys for transportation. How do you think their excessive use of oil would make the average person think of the country now? (It definitely changed my perspective, and I have been researching Greece for 2 months!)
Oil Production: 7.5 Thousand barrels per day
Oil Consumption: 306.15 thousand barrels per day
2. Summarize:
Write a short paragraph explaining the information you discovered and conclusions you can draw. How does this information help you develop a sense of place for the country -- living conditions, social development, use of land or other resources, etc.?
As you can see from the information above, Greece consumes about 45 times the amount of oil that is produces. To me, this shows that Greece is a very active and advanced country. If it is using that much more oil than it is producing, then the atmosphere must be to always be up and going places/using oil powered technologies. You can definitely see that this is a first world country with modern technological advances. Although it does not really compare to America's use of 18 million barrels a day, it still uses much more than the country can produce!
3. Contemplate:
What questions does the information raise in your mind. Write down two questions you have based on what you have discovered.
1. Considering that Greece consumes roughly 300,000 barrels of oil a day, and the United States nearly 18 million, what would you say the difference in their culture and economic values are? From an educators standpoint?
2. When I think of Greece, I think of sandy beaches and donkeys for transportation. How do you think their excessive use of oil would make the average person think of the country now? (It definitely changed my perspective, and I have been researching Greece for 2 months!)
Greece's Economic System
What will be produced with Greece's resources?
How will these goods be produced?
Who will use these goods? Will these goods be exported?
Below is a brief summary of the economic system of the country:
Greece has a capitalist economy. Capitalism falls under the mixed-economy category. Public sector accounting counts for about 40% of Greece's GDP, with tourism accounting for 18%. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of it's yearly GDP. The Greek economy grew about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure in addressing a growing negative deficit.
Below are three key economic indicators, and an analyzation of what this information says about the Greece, how Greece compares to other countries, and how Greece has changed over time:
The country of Greece uses its natural resources by exporting a lot of them to other European nations. Textiles, food, beverage, and petroleum are among the nations top exported goods. This indicates a strong middle class labor force producing the textiles, raising the food, and mining the oil. The majority of the inhabitants fall into the working middle class with labor intensive jobs. This is much different then countries such as America and Germany to some extent; in that our manufactured products are all imported and our labor is outsourced. This also indicates that labor is inexpensive in the country of Greece, seeing as how they are producing goods for other nations in the area. Over time, as the country develops I would predict a shift towards importing more of these manufactured goods from countries where labor is cheaper. This shift happens all over the world as countries develop. To conclude, 20% of the country falls below the national poverty line, compared to about 12% in Italy and 15% in America. Yet as Greece continues to develop, this number will continue to shrink.
The three key economic indicators I have talked about are use of resources, labor distribution, and poverty levels.
Below is the GDP - per capita for Greece and an analysis of what this says about Greece in comparison to other countries, and the quality of life that can be found here:
The GDP - per capita of Greece:
$23,600
The Country comparison to the world:
$24,600
$26,200
As you can see from above, Greece’s GDP – per capita is very close in comparison to the rest of the world, differing by roughly 1-2 thousand dollars. The quality of life in Greece can then be comparable to other modern, first world countries, such as America itself.
How will these goods be produced?
Who will use these goods? Will these goods be exported?
Below is a brief summary of the economic system of the country:
Greece has a capitalist economy. Capitalism falls under the mixed-economy category. Public sector accounting counts for about 40% of Greece's GDP, with tourism accounting for 18%. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of it's yearly GDP. The Greek economy grew about 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, but went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure in addressing a growing negative deficit.
Below are three key economic indicators, and an analyzation of what this information says about the Greece, how Greece compares to other countries, and how Greece has changed over time:
The country of Greece uses its natural resources by exporting a lot of them to other European nations. Textiles, food, beverage, and petroleum are among the nations top exported goods. This indicates a strong middle class labor force producing the textiles, raising the food, and mining the oil. The majority of the inhabitants fall into the working middle class with labor intensive jobs. This is much different then countries such as America and Germany to some extent; in that our manufactured products are all imported and our labor is outsourced. This also indicates that labor is inexpensive in the country of Greece, seeing as how they are producing goods for other nations in the area. Over time, as the country develops I would predict a shift towards importing more of these manufactured goods from countries where labor is cheaper. This shift happens all over the world as countries develop. To conclude, 20% of the country falls below the national poverty line, compared to about 12% in Italy and 15% in America. Yet as Greece continues to develop, this number will continue to shrink.
The three key economic indicators I have talked about are use of resources, labor distribution, and poverty levels.
Below is the GDP - per capita for Greece and an analysis of what this says about Greece in comparison to other countries, and the quality of life that can be found here:
The GDP - per capita of Greece:
$23,600
The Country comparison to the world:
$24,600
$26,200
As you can see from above, Greece’s GDP – per capita is very close in comparison to the rest of the world, differing by roughly 1-2 thousand dollars. The quality of life in Greece can then be comparable to other modern, first world countries, such as America itself.