“If I fail any of my exams it will be a disgrace to my church and my family.”
These are the words of an 18-year-old African boy from Ghana. As I was reading the relevant article in Time magazine[1] about Delight’s life, I came to realize that his society in not that different to mine when it comes to dealing with exams and universities.
Although Greece has joined the European Union and done everything possible to be like a Western society, the way that people think and react has remained untouched.
The stereotype still craves for children to enter University. Neither plumbers are needed, nor electricians; just doctors, lawyers, civil engineers, teachers and all professions that a suit is needed on a daily basis.
Greek society treats exams like the panacea that will exorcise all the upcoming moments of misery in an adult’s life.
This puts a heavy burden on the backs of thousands of youngsters who prepare for these exams three years before the actual date. Three years they do not enjoy summers, they have to study hard everyday, and are obliged to go to private teaching after school.
As a result, stress levels have risen significantly among younger ages and problems like eating disorders, dermatological diseases, and depression have appeared.
The funny thing is that statistics show that people who face unemployment are the ones who strived to enter a top ranked university even though they did not like the area they would study.
Aristotle wrote about how exaggeration can be disastrous in everyday life and neo-Greeks come to doubt it and act other wise. I wonder sometimes if we will ever learn..
[1] Simon Robinson-“Midnight’s Family”-5 March
No comments:
Post a Comment