A View on the Greek Shadow Education at the Era of the Economic Crisis. How Do Private Tutors’ Working Conditions Are Formed? (original) (raw)
Related papers
An Approach of Shadow Education in Greece: Sociological Perspectives
Open Journal for Sociological Studies, 2018
The purpose of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of shadow education in Greece during the second decade of the 21 st century, focusing on the differences between formal and shadow education, the characteristics (of shadow education) and the reasons of its existence. The results showed that the liberalization of education during the recent decades was accurately implemented in the institution of shadow education. Knowledge is becoming a commercialized product and the choice for private education is made through private-financial criteria. Restrictive and maladaptive educational policies and decisions about the educational needs of Greek students exacerbate the purposes of shadow education development.
A book review of teachers as tutors: shadow education market dynamics in Georgia
Journal of international cooperation in education, 2024
Private tutoring, also referred to as shadow education, has become prevalent worldwide (Zhang & Bray, 2021), and Nutsa Kobakhidze's monograph Teachers as tutors: Shadow education market dynamics in Georgia offers a unique contribution by exploring the intricate dynamics of teachers' identity and social interactions within shadow and mainstream education. Due to its Georgian context, Kobakhidze's work is set apart from other publications on the topic of private tutoring, and thus makes an essential contribution to comparative studies of shadow education. The book is based on her Ph.D. dissertation, which received the prestigious Comparative and International Education Society Gail P. Kelly Outstanding Dissertation Award. In addition to its unique research context, the book's robust theoretical framework, rigorous methodology and insightful findings are particularly noteworthy. Kobakhidze offers a comprehensive introduction to the specific research context and identifies a gap in the study of shadow education. Although previous literature has explored various aspects of shadow education in diverse societies, few studies have focused on the context of post-Soviet Georgia. Private tutoring has been conducted in Georgia since the Soviet era but has received little attention from the government. As in other post-Socialist countries, this form of education contradicts the fundamental ideology of communism inherited from Soviet times. As Kobakhidze elaborates, acknowledging the existence of private tutoring implies a recognition of the underlying incentives that drive teachers and students to engage in it. These include the poor quality of mainstream education, low teacher salaries, widespread corruption in the education admissions process and the problems resulting from the exam-oriented selection system. As the government cannot ideologically accept these issues, it turns a blind eye towards the phenomenon of private tutoring, which has thus developed without extensive government regulation. The book's focus on the dual roles of teachers who are involved in private tutoring while also working in mainstream schools is thus necessary and valuable. In addition, the findings from the novel research context of Georgia can have significant implications for other post-Soviet countries. Another highlight of the book is its integration of various theories from economic sociology, which has never before been applied to the field of shadow education. The study Journal of International Cooperation in Education
Mapping the impact of economic crisis on Greek education
2017
The present study, which is part of the research project entitled “Teacher Support Confronting Social Inequalities” (TOCSIN), aims at investigating the consequences of the economic crisis on the vulnerable population at early childhood education schools (children aged from four to nine years old). In particular, the study explores the effects of economic crisis on children and school units in Greek public schools as well as the practices that educators may implement to cope with the problems arisen in the school environment because of the economic crisis. The data were collected through a researcher-designed questionnaire administered to the school principals. Three hundred sixteen (316) school principals of Greek kindergartens and primary schools participated in the research. The results of the study indicated that children have difficulties in feeding, clothing/footwear, in participating in school activities (e.g., excursions, museum visits) and extra-curricular activities (e.g., ...
Economic Crisis and Education in Greece
Ἔχ χε ει ις ς μ μο οι ι ε εἰ ἰπ πε εῖ ῖν ν, , ὦ ὦ Σ Σώ ώκ κρ ρα ατ τε ες ς, , ἆ ἆρ ρα α δ δι ιδ δα ακ κτ τὸ ὸν ν ἡ ἡ ἀ ἀρ ρε ετ τή ή; ; ἢ ἢ ο οὐ ὐ δ δι ιδ δα ακ κτ τὸ ὸν ν ἀ ἀλ λλ λ' ' ἀ ἀσ σκ κη ητ τό όν ν; ; ἢ ἢ ο οὔ ὔτ τε ε ἀ ἀσ σκ κη ητ τὸ ὸν ν ο οὔ ὔτ τε ε μ μα αθ θη ητ τό όν ν, , ἀ ἀλ λλ λὰ ὰ φ φύ ύσ σε ει ι π πα αρ ρα αγ γί ίγ γν νε ετ τα αι ι τ το οῖ ῖς ς ἀ ἀν νθ θρ ρώ ώπ πο οι ις ς ἢ ἢ ἄ ἄλ λλ λῳ ῳ τ τι ιν νὶ ὶ τ τρ ρό όπ πῳ ῳ UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN MACEDONIA
Education in Conditions of Crisis in Greece: An Empirical Exploration (2000-2013)
The article aims at exploring the ramification of the crisis on education in terms of access to education, educational attainment of the population, funding, schools, teachers and students. These and other aspects of education are examined on basis of statistical data that has been collected and published by international agencies and Greek sources. In order to analyse fluctuations and trends, the data examined covers a period before and after the onset of the crisis (in 2009), namely from 2000 to 2013. The results point to differences in the ways education has been affected by the crisis: at micro and meso level, for example, the funding, the school units and the education personnel have been reduced; at macro level, access to education and education attainment continues to rise, but to a lesser degree than before the onset of the crisis.
Greek Economic Outlook, 2018
The paper presents the legislative framework for private education in Greece. It also discusses the usual arguments in favour of private education in general versus public education. Moreover, it presents the evolution of education spending by households using Household Budget Surveys and how it is allocated between different levels of education noticing the big spending in upper secondary education due to the preparation of students for Panhellenic Exams. Last but not least, it uses data from ELSTAT to track the changes in the demand for private education during the crisis in terms of students enrolled, teachers employed and schools operating.
Education and Social Solidarity in times of Crisis: the case of voluntary shadow education in Greece
Education Inquiry, 2014
This paper aims to understand an emergent social practice of solidarity, that of voluntary shadow education ('social frontistiria'), in its socio-economic context. Perceiving the welfare state as the institutionalized form of solidarity, this paper attempts to analyze its specific nature and the process of political legitimisation stemming from enduring features of the Greek political culture. It is argued that the traditionally established practices are deconstructed in the face of the economic crisis. In the context of recession, new forms of solidarity emerge which transcend the enduring individualistic element of Greek society, based on social activism and volunteerism. While institutional solidarity is insufficient and traditional solidarity faints, civil society apparently emerges, introducing new social practices of solidarity. This paper shows, that the crisis, alongside its dismantling effects, may have some creative effect towards the development of new solidarities, new spaces of hybrid social practices.
Kobakhidze, M. N. (2018). Teachers as Tutors: Shadow Education Dynamics in Georgia
Springer, 2018
The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has become a global phenomenon but has different features in different settings. This book explores the ways in which teacher-tutors’ beliefs, social norms, ideals about professionalism, and community values shape their economic decisions in the informal shadow education marketplace. Through theoretical lenses of economic sociology and anthropology, this study uncovers strong social and moral embeddedness of the shadow education market in social relationships, cultural norms and moralities in post-Soviet Georgia. The book questions some of the basic assumptions that the predominant neoliberal discourse promotes worldwide. The book is based on Kobakhidze’s PhD dissertation, which won the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Gail P. Kelly Outstanding Dissertation Award. “[A] theoretically innovative and substantively enlightening account of shadow schooling in Georgia… A landmark achievement.” - Roger Dale, University of Bristol “… an important and timely topic … addressed with exceptional thoroughness. It constitutes a solid piece of academic work and clearly makes a significant contribution to the field of shadow education.” - Heidi Biseth, University College of Southeast Norway, Chair of Gail P. Kelly Award Committee in 2017 “…through robust critical analysis, Kobakhidze invites a humanistic re-visioning of economy and society.“ - Ora Kwo, The University of Hong Kong