Sun loungers, pop art sofa, paintings on the walls, small kitchenette, refrigerator. Sandwiches, cheesecakes, croissants, soft drinks, yoghurts and last year’s delicious apple pies. professors who wants to impose their questions, others are wicked, some are well prepared. Anxiety, panic attacks, fainting and a call to the doctor. And sweet, like the one with the professor in love. Mosaics that make up the special world of the “Panhellenic Strategy”, which, like every year, is organized in Ministry of Education greet your members Central Examination Commission (CEC). His National exams Where they started todayand almost every Greek family regards them as a historical moment, as they are the most important step a child has towards university.

“This dungeon is a luxury, of course, but a dungeon.” says to professor “K” which has many years of experience in participating in the EEC. No windows, soundproofing, mobile phones are prohibited, and therefore the Internet. The only way out, a small door leading to the garden of the Ministry of Education, “maybe get some air and smoke,” as our interlocutor says. About 100 CEE members annually participate in the selection of their topics National exams. KEE consists of 22 permanent members and advisory committees for each course studied, as well as administrators. These are university professors, educational consultants and high school teachers. Of course, there is no need for named statements either, since privacy rules are understandably explicit, even if some, after passing exams, “cash in” on their participation by raising their “money” in the private tutoring market. It is not a small thing for someone to be chosen to be at the center of pan-Greek decisions and to know the philosophy of matters first hand.

Yesterday, at about 7 pm, the first philologists of the Modern Greek language course crossed the threshold of the ministry. They were notified that they were finally selected for KEE earlier in the week. The “strategy” area is on the ground floor and they leave all electronic devices in front of the entrance. In addition, there are “cutters” for mobile phones. Hence the scandal of many years ago, when a man, a member of the CEA, stubbornly refused to part with his mobile phone. The reason was that he couldn’t go 24 hours without talking to his “newly acquired” girlfriend. In the end, he compromised by asking the woman to be in the service area.

At the entrance to the closed area there are police officers, the door is heavy and opens with a bell. Behind the front door are all the cars and positions of the administrative staff. Moving inside, to the right and left are small rooms in which preparatory committees. There are also libraries of books for choosing topics (for example, in the Exhibition), copiers, paintings on the walls, a buffet on one side of the corridor for coffee, tea, juices, sandwiches, fruits, sweets. At the end of the corridor is a large hall where the KEE meets to hear each group’s presentation on each subject and approve the final exam or correct the questions, wording and content. If the Commission does not give final approval, nothing will move forward.

Leading topics bring with them books, articles, personal notes, and any material that can help in choosing a topic. However, the lack of Internet makes their work difficult.

After first getting to know their new members, the group that will select the course subjects to be tested the next day—three high school teachers who teach the course, a school counselor, and a university professor in the relevant field—begins discussion. Between 11 and 12 o’clock in the morning the competition took its first form, and this is a good reason for the first break. The report team then returns to work to complete the test. This is then printed to have the first editable version.

Refusal to hand over a mobile phone for… sentimental reasons, strong disagreement and a slight panic attack in the background of the buffet.

“solver”

Around 2 o’clock in the morning the “solver” arrives. The Solver was founded in 1994 after a resounding failure in physics due to the enormous complexity of subjects in 1993. Thus, since 1994, a secondary school teacher has been invited to take the place of candidates just before the items fall into their hands. That is to solve them. In fact, for the most difficult questions, two “solvers” may be called. The “decisive” gives its opinion to the EEC after the presentation of the issue by the reporting commission. “If the CEA does not like something, then the proposing group leaves to finalize the issue. And then the pulse quickens, because you want to finish faster, and fatigue begins to affect us. Changes must be made very carefully, because then you can make a mistake, ”says our interlocutor.

Around 5 am, the final writing of the competition takes place – this is not an easy process, i.e. there are forms – and then send their delivery to examination centers.

After the exams start, around 8:00 am, the advisory board members begin writing indicative answers for the teachers who will correct what they have written in the grading centers and for those who will examine the candidates orally. At the same time, CEE members are waiting for any questions from candidates from examination centers. As soon as the candidate’s eventual departure time arrives, usually around 11 a.m., a group of Department of Education faculty members leave.

“They will tear us apart”

“I remember one consultant who was worried about how parents and the industry would react to problems. “They will yell at us, I won’t come here again,” he continued the monologue, and we were afraid that he might have a panic attack,” says a professor who has repeatedly participated in the CEA. “Has anyone had panic attacks in all these years? I remember two professors having a heated argument about a subject. They both suggested something else. Apparently the theme was chosen alone. He, once he had calmed down and processed the challenge he had received on the topic he had proposed, realized the weight of his decision. His stomach began to churn, and he became nervous because he suggested a difficult topic. All this resulted in a slight panic attack,” our interlocutor recalls and emphasizes: “Think about the burden we carry: you are very worried when it’s 3-4 in the morning, the candidates are sleeping, and you know that your problems decide their fate. ..”.