WRITTEN QUESTION E-4050/00

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(9 January 2001)

Subject: Support classes in Greek secondary schools

The support classes offered in the last years of Greek secondary school comprise lessons outside school hours, in the manner of private educational establishments, aimed at combating school failure

in the comprehensive system and enabling pupils both to continue and complete their studies. The project is financed under Measure 1.2 Comprehensive School of Sub-programme 1, General and Technical Education, under the Operational Programme. The programme, however, appears to be in decline in the light of the number of pupils taking part and the take-up rate of funding, though there continues to be demand from pupils, especially those from families on low incomes or from remote areas.

1. Is the Commission aware of the reasons which have led pupils to withdraw from the programme and what measures does it propose to make the programme more attractive and effective for pupils?

2. Are there similar pupil support programmes to combat school failure in other Member States? If so, what form do they take, who are the teachers involved and what is their relation to teachers in schools. Does the Commission consider that this programme can also contribute to combating unemployment among teachers?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Within the framework of the operational programme Education and Initial Training of the Greek Community Support Framework 1994-1999, the European Social Fund co-funded remedial courses for students of lyceums (upper secondary education).

The courses were introduced on a pilot basis in March 1998 with a view to supporting educational reform (i.e. the establishment of the Comprehensive Lyceum, progressive abolition of entrance examinations to tertiary education) and reducing school failure and dropout rates. In the school years 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, the measure was extended to more subjects and more classes and students and also covered technical and vocational education.

In the period under consideration and according to information provided by the Greek Ministry of Education, the total number of students who benefited from the measure is estimated at 140 000, the overall expenditure at 23 million and the number of teachers involved at 23 000.

Concerning the attractiveness of the courses, it is estimated that in the school year 1999-2000 about 8 % of students abandoned the remedial courses. The problem is concentrated mainly in large urban areas. However, the number of participating students did not fall in insular and remote regions or in evening schools.

The external evaluator of the operational programme and the scientific committee of the project have assessed the implementation of the measure so far and have proposed a number of educational, managerial and organisational improvements. These will be taken into account in the new programming period 2000-2006. Furthermore, efforts will be made to better focus the new remedial courses so as to avoid school failure and reduce dropout rates, in particular in disadvantaged regions. To this end, the Ministry of Education envisages the development of special educational material, better teacher training and better use of the new network technologies. The Ministry believes that these measures will make the remedial courses more attractive to students as well as more efficient.

The measures applied in other Member States to fight school failure as well as the particularities of their education systems differ from Member State to Member State and they are not easily comparable. In any case, in the framework of its partnership work with Member States, the Commission will encourage Greece to consider existing international experience and best practices.