In Greece, early childhood education and care (for children up to 4 years old) is offered by public infant/child care under the responsibility of Municipalities (Ministry of Interior), as well as private structures under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. The operation of both public and private structures is governed by a Joint Ministerial Decision (see Chapter 4).
Pre-school/kindergarden education is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Quality Assurance in public infant/child care structures is supervised and monitored by the Municipal Council presided by members of the Vrefokomeio of Athens, as stipulated by the “Standard Regulation of Operation for Municipal Infant/Child Care and Child Care Centers” (Joint Ministerial Decision 5409/45176/17-2-2014, as amended by the Ministerial Decision Δ11/ΟΙΚ/263996/920/2020). An integrated and unified quality assurance system has been developed in pre-school/kindergarden (4-6 years old pupils), primary and secondary general and vocational education; this system establishes legislative measures for internal and external evaluation which is developed in three different levels:
- The educational system
- The educational leaders and teachers
- The educational units (pre-school education/kindergarden or school units)
Pre-school education/kindergarden and school education (primary and secondary education) are defined by a mutual pedagogical philosophy which is differentiated and adjusted to the respective age group needs and opportunities. The pedagogical target goals for each one of the above mentioned education levels includes the development of a linguistic, cognitive and social readiness which is required for the smooth transition to the next educational level.
In particular:
- At system level the educational policy which is put in effect, is monitored, studied and evaluated by the Ministry of Education and the proposals of the Institute of Educational Policy. The proposals of the Ministry and the Institute of Educational Policy are followed by a post-evaluation of the quality procedure by ADIPPDE targeting at the improvement of relevant procedures at regional and national level. By law 4823/2021 it is provided that the evaluation of education leaders, teachers and members of the Special Teaching Staff and Special Support Staff is institutionalized , aiming at improving individual performance and quality of public education and, generally the pedagogical, didactic and support work provided by educational and support structures. The seconded teachers to Ministry of Education, IEP and other administrative services are assessed in accordance with the provisions of the civil servants evaluation system (law 4369/2016).
- At educational unit level, the internal evaluation of education work and implementation of actions for professional developments is foreseen by law 4692/2020. The unit’s external evaluation is also foreseen so proposals for improvement for the next academic year are submitted. As regards Model and Experimental schools, unit’s self-evaluation procedures are laid down by specific provisions. At teacher’s level, as already mentioned, only teachers serving at model and pilot schools and those serving a specific term are evaluated.
Responsible Bodies of Evaluation
School unit
The school unit is responsible for drafting the internal evaluation annual report. The evaluation report is based on planned educational work and the implementation of professional development actions by groups of teachers (law 4692/2020).
The evaluation of the education leaders, teachers and members of the Special Teaching Staff and Special Support Staff is carried out periodically by two evaluators. In particular, education leaders are evaluated by two senior supervisors who evaluate their education system knowledge, administrative and educational work, service consistency and adequacy. Teachers serving in school units are evaluated by the Advisor on module's general and specific teaching by the Principal/ Head of the school on class atmosphere, service consistency and adequacy (with the provision of law 4823/2021).
As regards Model and Experimental schools, periodic internal and external evaluation is carried out in order to assure and continuously improve the quality of the educational work offered, as well as the educational results (law 4692/2020).
Teachers serving in Model and Experimental schools are evaluated by the relevant Scientific Supervisory Board, the Coordinator of the Educational work and the school principal, who draft evaluation reports. The evaluation criteria for teachers include pedagogical, teaching, and administrative competences. After the completion of evaluation, teachers, who were positively evaluated, may apply for the renewal of their appointment, whereas teachers negatively evaluated are not allowed to apply for Model and Experimental schools.
Regional centers of educational planning (PEKEs)
PEKEs are the competent bodies for educational planning, monitoring, the coordination and support of the educational work of private and public school units (so is the coordination of Centres of Educational & Counselling Support (KESYs), Sustainability Educational Centers (KEAs), Vocational Education and Training Workshops (EK) ). In accordance to the provisions of law 4547/2018, the mission of PEKEs is to support teachers in public and private education scientifically and pedagogically (by organizing and implementing relevant educational programmes/ training sessions); to organize the teachers’ training, including initial training and to support the planning and assessment of the educational work in a regional level. PEKEs are responsible for drafting a comprehensive external evaluation report for schools of the relevant Regional Directorate of Education. The planning and entire educational work is taken into consideration (law 4692/2020). These reports are used by ADIPPDE in the process of formulating the general evaluation of the school units of the educational system.
Education Quality Supervisors
With the provision of law 4823/2021 one quality supervisor position is established per Regional Directorate of Education and per Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education who undertake the responsibility of pedagogical supervision and optimal coordination of education structure. The Supervisor's Regional Council (PESEP) is responsible for monitoring educational planning, such as curricula’ and educational activities implementation, as well as the support of operation and educational work of schools.
Education Consultants
The mission of education consultant is the pedagogical and scientific guidance of teachers, members of the Special Educational and Special Support Staff, as well as planning and development of innovative initiatives in the field of education. Educational Consultant tasks also include the teachers' and members of the Special Educational and Special Support Staff's evaluation as well as overall planning for school's self-evaluation and support of structures for Primary and Secondary education.
Services of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
The decentralized services of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs (the Regional Educational Directorates, Sustainability Educational Centres (KEAs), Natural Sciences Training Workshops (EKFE), Workshop Centers) organize and support the provision of primary and secondary education and the work of teachers. Consecutively, the Ministry of Education is the central body for educational policy making, through its individual bodies and services; it conducts research and studies; it assigns the elaboration of evaluation studies to expert committees; it participates in researches and cooperates with bodies in Greece and abroad, international networks, or organizations, such as OECD, EUROSTAT, the Hellenic Statistical Authority etc.; it develops indicator systems that provide information on significant educational parameters, that are being utilized in decision making and planning of education.
Institute of Educational Policy (IEP)
The Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) is a strategic, scientific body which supports the Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs, as well as the bodies supervised by it on issues related to education and particularly on:
- Pre-school/kindergarden, school and post-school education levels
- The transition from secondary education to tertiary education
- Teacher training and
- Tackling school dropping- out and early school leaving.
The target of IEP is to assure the right to education for all children (law 4547/2018 which amended Law 3966/2011). The evaluation system of the educational work of school units, of the educational leaders, and of the teachers and of Special Educational Staff and Special Support Staff is monitored by I.E.P. for procedure and efficiency improvement and reliability assurance.
Authority for Quality Assurance in Primary and Secondary Education (ADIPPDE)
The Authority for Quality Assurance in Primary and Secondary Education (ADIPPDE) is an independent body (by law 4142/2013 as amended with law 4547/2018). As far as is mission is concerned it forms, formulates, organizes, specifies and formulates standardizes the procedures and the relevant criteria and indicators for the assessment of teachers and the evaluation of the educational system, especially in the context of corresponding international models. ADIPPDE also delivers an opinion to the Ministry of Education on issues concerning the process of assessing management and other education staff. Objections of management officials and other staff, besides school directors or principals and assistant directors of school units and laboratory centers, to their evaluation reports are decided upon by ADIPPDE. The ADDIPDE is responsible for the meta-evaluation of the evaluation system of all stakeholders as described above in order to monitor and control its operation, to continuously improve the relevant procedures, ensuring its reliability and further improving its effectiveness.
Approaches and methods for quality assurance
Quality assurance in pre-school/kindergarden and school education is carried out through the introduction of an institutionalized, integrated and effective evaluation framework for education leaders and teachers executives and through educational unit internal and external evaluation procedures ( law 4692/2020).
Teachers’ s evaluation
The work of the permanently appointed teachers is evaluated on a four-year basis by the Education Scientific Consultant, in terms of general and special teaching of their school subject/ subjects and by the Director of the school unit, in terms of the pedagogical climate and classroom management; also, their works is evaluated every two (2) years by the Principal or Head of the school unit and the Education Pedagogical Consultant, in terms of their service consistency and adequacy.
Planning and evaluation of the educational work
Quality assurance procedures in Primary and Secondary education include internal evaluation and external evaluation procedures which are carried out on an annual basis.
In particular and in accordance with law 4692/2020:
Τhe educational work, the school group actions and research procedures for the respective year are planned in the beginning of the school year during the assembly of the teachers’ board in every school unit. Teacher's board in collaboration with the Educational Consultant who has the pedagogical responsibility of the school unit, define the school unit's operation areas, where the planned actions will focus. Under the supervision of the school unit's Principal, groups for actions of common interest are formed. Groups consist of two to five teachers and focus mainly on upgrading their educational work but also their professional development. Cooperation and support of the groups is carried out by the Principal of the school unit and the Educational Consultant who has the pedagogical responsibility of the school unit of the specialty. The Educational Consultant can organize relevant, in-school, training activities and provide the necessary support The Principal convenes the teachers' board in regular meetings, held at least once every two months. The aim of the meetings is to thoroughly discuss the implementation of the initial planning, the actions and research procedures designed and to evaluate their apparent effectiveness. If necessary, re-planning, redesigning and adjustments are put in place making use of the Educational Consultant remarks. At the end of the school year, the Principal convenes a special meeting along with the teachers' board to evaluate both the school unit, as an administrative and educational structure and its educational work. The report drafted is included in the minutes of the meeting and its main points are uploaded on the school unit’s website. The report is also reproduced on the special electronic application of the Institute of Educational Policy. Educational Consultants are informed on the content of the report on the annual educational work and planning for professional development actions, as well as on the schools' educational work annual report. Based on the existing infrastructure and each school unit's specific characteristics, the Educational Consultants make make comments on these reports, as well as suggestions for support and improvement . Proposals referring to programming reports are taken into account during the current school year; proposals referring to the internal evaluation reports, are taken into account for the next school year planning. These observations and suggestions for each school unit are communicated to the teachers' association of the relevant school unit and to the relevant PEKES through the special electronic application. Moreover, a summary of these comments and proposals of the Educational Consultants are posted on the relevant PEKE s' website without any references to specific schools, as well as in its special electronic application. No later than the end of the school year the PEKEs, after taking into account each school's annual reports, as well as the Educational Consultant’s relevant comments and proposals, prepare a comprehensive external evaluation report for the relevant Regional Directorate of Education's school units concerning their planning and educational work. The annual report is posted in due time on its website and the special electronic application. ADIPPDE, during the drafting of its annual report, takes into account the above special electronic application content at local, regional and national level and focuses mainly on the external evaluation reports of PEKES in order to:
- to submit to the Minister of Education measures for the improvement and efficient organization of the planning procedure and the school’s internal and external evaluation and
- to draft reports with general remarks, especially regarding the needs, difficulties, trends and achievements on the external evaluation reports of PEKES,
Educational Policy Institute uses the above special electronic application's content at local, regional and national level and, if necessary and in collaboration with ADIPPDE, drafts a proposal to the Minister of Education Specific issues related to the application of this law are determined by a decision of the Minister of Education, following ADIPPDE's and IEP's relevant proposals As regards to Model and Experimental schools, before the start of the school year, the Principal of the school unit along with the Deputy Principal and the Teachers' board and under the guidance of Scientific Supervisory Board, draft and an action plan on the implementation of research programs and educational goals which is submitted electronically (gov.gr). At the end of the school year, the same officials prepare an internal evaluation report which evaluates the achievements of the educational objectives included in the action plan. This internal evaluation report evaluates the performance of the school as a whole and formulates suggestions for improvement for the next school year. The internal evaluation reports are the basis for the external evaluation carried out by the current Governing Committee of Model and Experimental Schools, in collaboration with IEP and Higher Institutions (with the provision of L. 4692/2020).
Scientific and pedagogical support of the educational work
The Educational Consultant is scientifically and pedagogically responsible for the subject-matters of his field, of the total number of school units and laboratory centres which fall under the respective PEKES (law 4547/18).
Monitoring of the education system
In the framework of their operation, various services falling under the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs have developed information systems for data collection from schools (such as data on human resources in terms of teaching staff and student population and flow, building infrastructure etc.). Such data are utilized either in standard operations of the Ministry (transfers, secondments, appointments), or for monitoring education and updating the conventional indicators of education and social development (e.g. OECD indicators). In the context of upgrading and modernizing its information technology infrastructure, the Ministry of Education, and Religious Affairs has proceeded to the setting up of a new information technology system (http://myschool.sch.gr) addressed to schools and its decentralized administrative structures. The new system replaces and integrates formerly existing information technology systems (e-School, e-DataCenter, Survey, Integrated Information System for Personnel Management (OPSYD), etc.) in a single digital environment.
Focused evaluation studies
The central bodies of educational planning in primary and secondary education (Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Institute of Educational Policy, Authority for Quality Assurance in Primary and Secondary Education) implement evaluation studies to examine selected aspects of development of the education system. Issues such as primary and secondary education funding, students’ performance in various subjects, graduates' integration into employment, school dropout rates, constitute indicative examples of such targeted evaluation studies that will enable an in-depth examination of issues of special interest. As far as educational policy priorities are concerned, the country implements similar studies at regional or national level; moreover, Greece participates in similar studies under the auspices of the OECD and other European and international networks and organizations.
Evaluation of other decentralized services and bodies of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
The provisions of law 4369/2016 apply to the evaluation of the rest of the decentralized bodies of the Ministry of Education, as well as the evaluation of bodies under the supervision of the Ministry, which exercise administrative responsibilities in issues of primary and secondary education.