In the midst of reactions, regarding the legislation governing private schools, the curtain rises on the exams every four months and this time, high schools are also thrown into the fray. Thus, all students in Secondary General and Secondary Technical Education will sit for the first exams every four months of the year, at a time when the usefulness of the institution is being questioned.
This is the fourth year that the institution of four months has been implemented, as far as Lyceums and Technical Schools are concerned, since last year they were extended to the 3rd Lyceum, which caused reactions, given that the final students had to sit for three different examinations, in five months. Something that has not changed and is expected to be implemented this school year as well, despite the fact that the Minister of Education had made efforts to change the situation, even preparing a bill to unify the institution of the four-month examinations with the institution of the Pan-Cyprus Examinations .
A proposal that provoked reactions from the teachers, but also from the parents, who expressed strong concerns regarding the safeguarding of the integrity of the Pan-Cypriot exams, as has been done for so many years, as there should be a special procedure for this. The reactions had the result that the specific bill was left in the drawers, while from time to time there were speculations as to whether there is suitable ground to withdraw it.
Meanwhile, the peculiarity of this year's exams every four months is the fact that it is going to be implemented for the first time in High Schools as well. Except that the application in Gymnasiums will not be the same as in High Schools.
In particular, the implementation of the institution in High Schools will not be done gradually, as it was done in High Schools and Technical Schools, which started from the 1st grade and it took three years to extend it to the entire spectrum of High School education. On the contrary, in Gymnasiums they will be held for all classes.
Thus, the four-month exams raise the curtain with the course of New Greek for the 1st and 3rd high school and technical schools, Mathematics for the 2nd high school and Chemistry-Biology for the 3rd high school and with the course of Physics and of Economics for the 2nd Lyceum, but also the course of Technology and Physics for the 1st and 2nd grade. It is noted that in the official first exam the only class that will not come to the desks is the 1st Lyceum, since the first class for them, which is that of the New Hellenics, will take place on Tuesday. As for the number of students who will be examined, he approaches 50,000. Specifically, 23,877 students will be examined in the High School, 17,579 in the High School, 4,758 in the Technical Schools and 1,685 in the Private Education.
It is noted that the Minister of Education stated that he was satisfied with the course of teaching in the High Schools and even mentioned, before the Education Committee, which held an extraordinary session last week, that for the first time this year, after decades, the Ministry is certain that in the High Schools, too, the rhythm of the teaching follows the syllabi and the teaching is covered everywhere, with knowledge and details, thus giving its own answer for the success of the institution of four months.
The reactions continue
However, despite the fact that today the implementation of the institution begins for another year, the reactions surrounding it have not stopped, with those directly involved, who are none other than the students, stating that after the exams, they will put all the facts before them on the table, so that they can come to the measures they will decide. In this effort, as they say, they will have parents and teachers on their side.
In the meantime, there are also reactions from the side of the Parliament, since the chairman of the Education Committee and MP of DIKO, Pavlos Mylonas, expressed his intention, after the change of government baton, to start the procedures to promote his proposal for the abolition of the institution in its entirety of. And this, because he considers that the appropriate climate was not created around the institution, as a result of which there are prejudices and a negative mood.
The program of the four-month examinations for the High Schools
The program of the four-month exams for high schools
The four-month exam schedule for Technical Schools
