Anna Saiti

The demand for higher education in Greece

This paper focuses on the reasons for enrolment demand in higher education in Greece through data collected from 400 students enrolled in the final year of post‐secondary education in the Athens area. Results showed that Greek students choose to follow higher studies for a number of reasons but mainly because higher education offers high‐level knowledge that creates career opportunities. Family monthly income appeared to be an influential factor in the demand for higher education in Greece since, among those students from families with a greater monthly income, those who had not passed the entrance exams for Greek universities had more opportunities to pursue higher studies abroad. This paper identifies that a more appropriate response, on the part of higher education, to the needs and demands of the labour market could help prevent employment mismatches and so minimise graduate unemployment.

Leadership and quality management: An analysis of three key features of the Greek education system

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate whether educational leadership in Greece implements the values of total quality management and contributes to the improvement of the educational process, and to offer proposals for a framework of total quality management that would contribute to an improvement in the overall quality of the education process.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on theoretical analysis and on the current legislative framework. Three different aspects of the Greek education system are critically reviewed and discussed.Findings – This study recognises that, due mainly to the lack of a long‐term educational strategy, the absence of an educational leadership development programme and limited financial support, the Greek educational system needs to review its structure and procedures ‐ even those that are “taken for granted”.Research limitations/implications – Given the differences between education and industry, and the fact that only three different aspects of the Greek educ...

The Development and Reform of School Administration in Greece A Primary School Perspective

The purpose of this article is to present and investigate the current situation in Greece regarding the management of primary schools and to underline the need for reforms in the field of school administration. The coordination of the relationship between the state and schools is an issue vital for both: primarily for schools, as they require a degree of independence to do their work on behalf of society, justly and properly; and for the state, which wishes to assure itself that the schools are adequately serving the needs of society and providing an efficient and comprehensive system of education. This article assesses the Greek primary school system in terms of avoidable bureaucratic processes and recommends strategies for improving the efficiency of school administration.

Educational decision making in a centralised system: the case of Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the decision‐making process in the Greek education system, as an indicator of the design and implementation of educational policy.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a case study approach to identify limitations in educational decision making in Greece. Specifically, it examines the case of the decision‐making process that led to the establishment of All‐Day primary schools in the country.Findings – The decision to establish All‐Day schools was not based on collaboration among stakeholders. Due to the centralisation of the Greek educational system, important decisions are made at the level of the Ministry of Education. Moreover, it appears that the central educational administration did not follow a specific action programme for the establishment and operation of All‐Day schools.Practical implications – The findings indicate that policy proposals for educational reform in Greece are controlled by a small group of bureaucrats. This results in a dec...

Conflicts in Schools, Conflict Management Styles and the Role of the School Leader: A Study of Greek Primary School Educators.

Conflict may occur in any organization (and hence school) and, for schools, conflict management style is a joint activity and the degree of its effectiveness determines the type of impact of conflict on school performance. This empirical study investigates the potential sources of conflict in Greek primary schools, determine appropriate approaches for the handling of conflicts and offers recommendations, based on the findings, for a more creative conflict management style in order to enhance school performance. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to primary school educators in two Greek regions, one of which was the metropolitan area of Athens, resulting in a sample of 414 completed questionnaires. The results showed that school conflicts often arise in the school and that when school conflicts did occur they were mainly attributed to both interpersonal and organizational reasons. Moreover, the results showed that there is a greater likelihood for these conflicts to arise in urban schools than in other regions. This study supports the view that integration, collaboration and coherence are the key factors for cultivating a constructive conflict management strategy and enhancing better school performance.

School leadership and educational equality: analysis of Greek secondary school data

Using data derived from interviews with Greek school principals, the purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) to investigate whether or not equitable access to schools is for all children; and (b) to determine the extent to which the Greek educational system, in particular, offers equal opportunities to immigrant students. The results showed that Greek society supports and promotes social justice and equality while embracing the present socioeconomic and demographic changes. Greek education policy makes no distinction between children – whether they be Greeks or immigrants, all children have equal rights.

Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on School Administration: Research on the Greek Schools of Secondary Education

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may be considered as a synonym for the modernization of all organizations, including school units, as they provide for advanced and updated technological tools and applications. Nowadays, the implementation of new technologies in the schools of secondary education in Greece has been rapidly increasing. This adoption of ICT reinforces the teaching process, but also facilitates administrative transactions. The current research aims to determine the level of technological infrastructure present in the secondary schools of Greece, to what extent this equipment meets their administrative needs, to study the role of the school libraries in their contribution to the modernization of school administration, and to examine the conditions that influence the implementation of ICT in school management.

School teachers’ job satisfaction and personal characteristics: A quantitative research study in Greece

Purpose – The purpose of this paper (based on the relevant literature) is to: investigate, through empirical analysis, primary school teachers’ perceptions regarding their job satisfaction, and examine whether or not the personal characteristics of primary school educators (such as gender, age, family status, educational level, and the total years of service in public primary education) have any impact on their job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 360 questionnaires were administered to primary school teachers in the metropolitan area of Athens (region of Attiki). The sample was randomly selected. The questionnaire was based on 41 closed and was divided into two sections. The Job Satisfaction Survey developed by Spector (1985) was implemented. Findings – Greek school teachers are generally satisfied with their profession. There is no statistical correlation between personal characteristics and the overall satisfaction while indicated that teachers are more satisfied with three aspects...

Building for a sustainable future in our schools: Brick by brick

At present, humanity is hinging its hopes on achieving sustainable development—a vital element for the survival of the planet. The role that social capital needs to play in the endeavor to build a strategy and a policy that can facilitate progress towards human prosperity becomes clear. The purpose of this chapter is, through the use and analysis of the relevant literature, to highlight the need for the enhancement of social capital in order to achieve qualitative development. This study supports the view that only through the education process—one that ensures education for all—can social capital exhibit the levels of improvement needed to ensure a sustained societal development for the populations of the world.

Education for Economic Development: Can Greece Achieve It?

The main purpose of every government is to further its country’s development. For a country to improve the knowledge and skills of its population, the education system has to perform efficiently. This chapter argues that the ‘crisis’ sustained by the Greek education system cannot be overcome through frequent corrective interventions, but only through a rational and long-term education programme. This chapter tries to show that Greece can achieve greater efficiency in the educational system, strengthen the knowledge and skills of human capital, ensure improved working practices, and proceed towards the development of a healthy economy only through cohesion, continuity, and consistency of all groups involved and strategic planning for an efficient and sustainable system of education and economy.