The Deputy Minister of Education, Nikos Papaioannou, sent a hopeful message to all candidates for the Panhellenic Exams.

Speaking on ERTnews Radio 105.8, Mr. Papaioannou shared his own concerns as a university professor and father, emphasizing that happiness is not determined solely by one’s profession. At the same time, he urged young people to use technology to carefully review the academic programs before completing their online application, while he laid out his vision for the future of high school and the National High School Diploma.

“Beyond my personal experience and as a father, I’ve been living through this for the past 30 years as a professor at Aristotle University, and I feel the anxiety—and I think that every year, I’m the one waiting for the results, and believe me, it’s ato feel this way. Because I want to tell all the students that, today marks the beginning of the next chapter of their lives. Whether they get the chance to attend a public university or choose a different path that will lead them to a happy life. “Because happiness isn’t just about a career and money,” said Mr. Papaioannou.

“I want to urge the students—since they’re so familiar with new technologies—before they submit their online applications, kids, before you fill out your college application , carefully consider what you want to study. Go online to review the curricula, compare them, and make the right decision,” added the Deputy Minister.

Regarding the issue of whether or not to abolish the Panhellenic exams, which was raised again by the ELAS party of Mr. Tsipras, clarifying that this would not apply to all schools, Mr. Papaioannou stated the following:

“I did indeed read it today; there was a sudden, an announcement that we are abolishing the national exams. Today, Mr. Tsipras’s party came back on the subject and is talking about low-demand and high-demand schools. They clarified that they’re not discussing the subject matter or the academic content. But I still believe that all of this is just a flurry of announcements.

What have we done so far? The national dialogue on the National High School Diploma has begun, and through this dialogue—which is scheduled to be completed in the coming months—we are moving toward a restructuring of high school. It’s not just about the substance—whether I’ll get in or not, whether a school is in high or low demand. We’re going to create a different kind of high school—not an exam-focused high school like it has been in recent decades—so that I can teach the four three-hour classes. (…) Right now, there are 106 people from all levels of education participating in this dialogue and in formulating proposals on what high school should be like, and how the examination process should be conducted. (…) “Let the dialogue be completed—something that has never been done before.”

Regarding the issue of impartiality, he noted, in response to those who call it a “totem,” that even if the Panhellenic Exams have run their course, no one can, however, dispute the integrity of the exams.

As for the timeline of the national dialogue on the National High School Diploma, Mr. Papaioannou explained that it had a nine-month timeframe starting in late January. “This doesn’t mean that once the dialogue is over, the 106 participants will have an opinion, and then we’ll just take it and act on it. It will be completed around late September or early October, so once it’s finished, once the proposals are in—which will then need to be discussed— but keep in mind that when we discuss something, I always take a practical approach—I don’t spend years just debating for the sake of it; we don’t drag things out. There are proposals; we’ll set aside a period of time for public dialogue on them, and then we’ll make a decision. “I’d like to believe that by next spring, there will be enough time—and it’s necessary—to finalize these as well,” he said.

“There is a proposal that mentions nationwide entrance exams at certain schools, but these are just proposals,” noted Mr. Papaioannou, clarifying that it is different from the ELAS proposal regarding high- and low-demand schools. “This is something different, but it’s linked to high school attendance. (…) When the proposals from the Committee—the National Committee—are ready, I want to be clear: once the proposals are presented and discussed, that will be New Democracy’s final proposal,” he emphasized in conclusion.