The social dimension of access policies higher education in the 1970-1998 in Greece

in the 1970-1998 in Greece

Dimitris Karantonis,

PhD student, Greece

Abstract

Educational reforms contributed to transforming the way the education system performs functions of choice, specialization and reproduction. Basic features of this transformation are a) the shift of choice from one step to the next and b) internal differentiation, which are directly related their. In several cases, the shift of choice to the next step was accompanied from internal grade differentiation. Also, widening participation in a step has always been accompanied by the strengthening of internal differentiation and / or internal differentiation of the next step through one Multi-level network of options.

Introduction

According to the theory of cultural capital, the choice, the specialization and the reproduction are key functions of the education system. The functions they are directly linked to each other and contribute to preservation and reproduction of the social structure (Patereka, 1986, pp.78-90), they are basic social ones functions of the education system. In all educational reforms of the post-war period, even after the mid - 1980s where an ideological shift was observed, the contribution of education to the economic development of the country and the provision of equal educational opportunities are basic principles and objectives. These basic principles / objectives of education reforms are linked to the basic functions of the education system. In particular, its objective the contribution of education to economic development is linked to its function specialization and the objective of providing equal opportunities with the operation of choice and, extension of social reproduction. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the authorities the educational reforms and the social functions it performs education system in 1970-1998 in Greece where it is a period of reforms for the country. Based on educational reforms, the period can be (a) 1976/77 to 1980/81: educational reform of 1976/77; and (b) 1981/82 to 1997/98: educational reform of 1981-85. In the last period (1981/82 to 1997/98), a brief reference is made to the 1997 reform, since the its «root causes» are in this period.

After the fall of the dictatorship, the main goal of its educational policy government of New Democracy was to turn students into technical-vocational education both in secondary education (technical-professional high school and technical-vocational schools) as well as in tertiary education (KATEE) (Bouzakis, 2002: 139). As examinations from the primary school are abolished in junior high school, the weight of choice is shifted to the second cycle of secondary education (high school) and tertiary education. Controlling student flow and selective the social functioning of the school takes place mainly through the horizontal diversification of secondary and tertiary education, which in reality is vertical. The aim of creating secondary and tertiary education technical-vocational training, other than the production of skilled labor potential is the absorption of demand for education, especially for young people «Inferior» social strata (Sianou-Kyrgiou, 2006: 58-59; Kyprianos, 2004: 293, etc.). The draft law on technical-vocational education had formulated revealing not only the inequality of the two types of lyceum, but also the effort her concealment: «... graduates from lower vocational education will they can study at the middle vocational school, which school mainly for reasons psychological, I would have proposed, Minister, to be called Technical Lyceum ... It is one psychological reason, so that the followers of technical and vocational education can they think that they follow a higher middle school of vocational education «(Iliou, 1986: 48-49).

At the next educational level, the KATETIS «Protected» their «elitism» universities. Thus, it was feasible for university education to continue to cover the needs of selective study, ie to ensure its reproductive role education system while at the same time the whole of tertiary education «Ensure» to a certain extent equality of educational opportunities (Kontogiannopoulou-Polydoridou, 1997: 9397, 107-108).

The introductory system for tertiary education is changing in 1980 by law 1035/1980. Examinations for admission to higher education are called «National exams». The academy, 1980/81, the most likely imports in h igher education have the office professions and the liberal-scientific occupations (2,7 and 2,6 respectively). Here are a significant difference: sellers (1,5) and employees in services (1,2). The rest of the socio- professional groups have a low chance of admission: craftsmen-workers 0.8; farmers 0,5 and management-professions 0,3 (Thanos, 2007: 339). It seems that the socio-professional group that benefits from changes in the educational system and wider socio-economic changes are occupations office. This is linked to the massification of the secondary education and on the other hand the special role of higher education in our country.

In particular, the extension of secondary education resulted in access socio¬professional groups that until then were excluded from the tier she. The socio¬professional groups (mainly occupations of the office), which until then used secondary education for their social reproduction, after the expansion of secondary education; they had to keep up their educational distances, thus intensifying their teachers efforts to increase access to higher education. From the fact that senior socio-professional groups do not present them higher chances of admission to higher education (management professions-administration have the lowest probabilities), could lead to the view that it the Greek education system is to some extent democratic. According to A. Frangoudakis (1985: 190), this image is associated with the operation of certain schools and HEIs, which with the degrees they award «correct» the deficiencies of the middle education.

Indeed, as is shown, for space 1976/77 to 1980/81, the «upper» socio -occupational groups are represented on «Privileged» schools on average with a higher percentage than the whole student population and 'less privileged' with a lower percentage. On the contrary, the «Inferior» socio-professional groups are represented in the «privileged» schools with a lower average percentage than the equivalent of the total population, while in «non-privileged» schools with higher. According to his data Table 8, 50% of all students attend three faculties: Legal, Finance & Political Affairs, Positions and Economic Affairs. This trend is followed by all socio-professional groups other than liberal-scientific professions; Armed Forces (Legal, Economic & Political Affairs, Health and Safety) Polytechnic School) and the management-management professions (Law, Finance & Political Sciences, Polytechnic and Economic Sciences).

The student population is currently declining by -3.3% or this decrease is observed in schools that absorb a high percentage of students and is linked to the economic crisis that emerges from its midst 1970s (Kyprianos, 2004: 290). During the period 1976/77 to 1980/81, higher education is in place its social functions (specialization, selection and reproduction) in the same way as also performed the previous period: a) with the introductory examination system for higher education, b) numerus clausus, c) internal differentiation upper and upper tertiary education, and d) internal differentiation of higher education in «privileged» and «non-privileged» schools.

Previously, in middle school, students have undergone a series of checks, which are concerned with controlling the flow of the student population from high school to high school (introduction introductory examinations) and the separation of lyceum into different types. During the 1970s and especially after the first oil crisis of 1973, the performance of the economy began to be limited. The rhythms, however, growth rates were maintained on average above the average OOAA and the European Community and only after its second oil crisis 1979 began to bend dramatically (Georgakopoulos, 1995: 86). In the 1980s, the economy of the country entered a phase of almost complete economic stagnation, which, with the exception of some years, was maintained until the end of the period considered (Glyts, 1995, p.281).

The tertiary sector is the only one that creates new jobs work, most of which are covered by top graduates education (Oikonomou, et al., 2002, p.158). This is due to the promotion of its institutions welfare state by the government of PASOK, which led to the creation of jobs (Bouzakis, 1999, p.31). Indeed, for the employment of graduates governments are recruiting, resulting in an increase in public debt (Gults, 1995, p. 311). In the early 1990s, economic problems are accumulating and the public sector can not fulfill its previous role, (Kazakos, 2002, p.437). The economic crisis has resulted, not only in Greece but also internationally, questioning the theory of human capital and, in particular, its contribution education in economic development and reducing social inequalities (Kanellopoulos, et al., 2003, p.26).

The educational reform of 1981-1985, as it takes place when the economic crisis in Greece begins, the contribution of education to economic development and equal educational opportunities continue to exist are its main objectives (Bouzakis, 1999,p.33). Towards this direction various measures are being promoted such as upgrading the senior technical-professional education (abolition of CTEEE and institutionalization of TEI), its abolition flow control of the student population in secondary education, its change examination system for higher education, the increase in the number of admissions to universities and TEI, et al. (Bouzakis, 2002, pp.151¬157).

Research results

In the period 1984/85 to 1997/98, despite the increase in university departments and institutions, the total student population of HEIs, shows a small increase (2.7%), which, according to the standard deviation, is irregular (8.4%). The expansion of the student population concerns TEIs. (Sianou-Kyrgiou: 2005: 71-75). In order to increase the student population by schools, there is no clear picture, since a large proportion of students (19.4%) can not be classified in a school, due to the way the NSS classifies the data. As far as the socio-professional groups are concerned, the liberal-scientific professions and the office professions show a higher increase than the increase of the total student population (8.0% and 6.0%, respectively), the armed forces and craft workers approximately the same as the total number of students (2.7% and 2.1% respectively), management jobs, merchant-sellers and employees in services with a smaller increase 1.2%, 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively), while farmers showed a decline (¬4.7%) (Table 9). This development is in some cases linked to corresponding changes in the economically active population (eg farmers) and in other cases by increasing opportunities for higher education (eg office occupations).

Table 1. Average change (%) of absolute numbers of students by occupational groups for the whole period 1984/85 to 1997/98

From the chances of introducing socio-occupational groups to all higher education and to school, it appears that higher education performs the function of social reproduction not so much through the transition from secondary to higher tertiary education, but through its internal differentiation. For example, management-management professions while having the least chance of entering higher education have a high chance of being admitted to «privileged» schools (Thanos, 2007). During the 1990s, the role of higher education in social reproduction seems to be transforming. Massive higher education is being attempted in the context of linking the school with the labor market, as well as combating educational inequalities. At the same time, postgraduate study programs are organized and operated, which are increasing (Kyprianos, 2004, pp.299, 325-329). Consequently, with the massification of the undergraduate course, the role of social conservation and reproduction is transferred to the postgraduate course (Sianou-Kyrgyi: 2005, p.62). These trends are reflected in the 1997 reform.

Discussion

During the period under review, all educational reforms set among their main goals the contribution of education to economic development and social justice. Economic development was linked to the development of technical-vocational education. Social justice in the form of guaranteeing equal educational opportunities was linked to a series of measures (eg free education, primary school, nine year compulsory education, etc.) and mainly by expanding the education system. These objectives, however, appear to have not been achieved:

1. Technical-vocational training did not contribute to economic growth, because it seems that it did not take, or it took very little. All the production areas, even tertiary, have used traditional ways production, which are characterized by their little know¬how. Even when in our country developed the heavy industry, it was capital intensive and introduced the required know-how. Higher education institutions associated with the primary and secondary production sectors are minimal and absorb a small percentage of students.

2. The education system and in particular higher education has performed the social functions of choice, specialization and reproduction mainly through the internal differentiation of the educational levels but also during the transition from one step to the next. A key role in internal diversification taught technical-vocational education.

Conclusion

Educational reforms contributed to transforming the way the education system performs functions of choice, specialization and reproduction. Basic features of this transformation are a) the shift of choice from one step to the next and b) internal differentiation, which are directly related their. In several cases, the shift of choice to the next step was accompanied from internal grade differentiation. Also, widening participation in a step has always been accompanied by the strengthening of internal differentiation and / or internal differentiation of the next step through one Multi-level network of options.

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