Opinion
By Prodromos G. Prodromou*
The dust has long settled on the issue. After a period of obsessive opposition and a kind of cat-and-mouse resistance to the now-infamous "quarterly exams," the government ultimately gave in to public pressure. It replaced the two-term evaluations with a single, year-end final exam. This technical, arguably minor change, fortunately didn’t alter the core logic of the assessment system—its structure, its impartial nature, and its island-wide standardized format remained intact.
Because, let’s be clear: assessment is necessary.
When the state invests nearly a billion euros each year into public education, it’s only reasonable to expect some form of accountability. The primary function of these exams is to evaluate not just students, but the performance of the schools and teaching itself. Beyond financial responsibility, there’s a deeper reason for assessment: the pursuit of quality education. And how can we aim for quality without measuring results?
What school exams shouldn’t be about is labeling or ranking children based on their performance. That’s not the point. Evaluations are there to show how the entire process—from teaching to policy—is working. The results help both the Ministry of Education and the government review programs, adjust procedures, and make meaningful improvements. On a smaller scale, they help schools, teachers, and families understand how students are doing. Even students themselves gain valuable insight into their progress.
A system that measures but doesn’t respond
While the public outcry has faded and no one seems to be talking about it anymore, the real issue is what’s buried under that "settled dust." Behind the silence lie some glaring blind spots in our education system. Despite having, for the first time, a rich and comprehensive dataset collected over several years, no serious review has been undertaken. No conclusions have been drawn, no corrective measures adopted. It’s as if the assessments are just ceremonial events that lose their meaning the moment they’re over.
From primary to secondary: Gaps that never close
Primary schools in Cyprus rarely, if ever, engage in formal assessments. But data from literacy studies show a persistent and alarming trend: around 12% to 14% of students complete six years of primary education while still falling within the spectrum of functional illiteracy. And when you add those who are just above that level—students with very poor skills—the percentage of children with weak learning outcomes rises to 20–25%.
That means one in four or five students is essentially left out of the “circle of knowledge,” lacking even the basic tools to benefit from the next level of education. These children face a near-certain risk of being pushed to the margins of a knowledge-based society—where knowledge isn’t just about facts, but about the ability to understand and communicate.
Yes, there are remedial classes in middle school, but these come with a cost—both financial and academic. These interventions haven’t been systematically evaluated, and their long-term impact remains unclear. What is clear, though, is that the same group of students continues to struggle as they move through the system, often with even worse outcomes.
A familiar picture at the start of high school
By the time these students reach the first year of high school, the gaps are undeniable. Even though many have shifted into technical education or different academic tracks, their presence is strongly felt in specific streams, especially in the Economics orientation group. Here, the data is striking:
- 40% of students scored between 1 and 5 out of 20 in Mathematics
- 21% scored that low in Modern Greek
- And in Economics, their supposed specialty, the failure rate hit 60%
This trend continues into the final two years of high school, where the disconnect between students and their chosen academic tracks becomes even more pronounced.
It’s not hard to imagine what happens to these students in the final stretch of their education. And one day, we’ll need to open up the “black box” that is technical education in Cyprus to understand this fully.
Lost years, lost potential
Year after year, the data shows a grim reality: around 40–50% of students complete their education with little to no meaningful benefit. They pass through the school system without acquiring the essential knowledge, skills, or learning habits they’ll need later in life.
Worse still, 1,500 to 2,000 students each year leave school without even a basic grasp of the Greek language. This is not just a personal failure; it's a societal one. Over a decade, that adds up to 15,000 to 20,000 young people with lower-than-basic literacy—directly affecting their ability to comprehend, express themselves, and function in everyday life.
In math, the situation is just as bleak. Thousands of students leave school without the ability to do even basic calculations or apply logical thinking. These outcomes help explain some of the more puzzling social trends we see—perhaps even the way people vote.
But the issue isn’t just what these students know or don’t know. The real tragedy is that a significant portion of our youth gains almost nothing from their years in school. They follow programs that, after six, nine, or even twelve years, leave them empty-handed. This is a massive waste, not only of money but of human potential.
What comes next?
The data we have is a goldmine. It should be guiding decisions, shaping reforms, and inspiring urgent action. In the coming articles, we’ll dive deeper into these findings, because only by facing the facts can we start to fix what’s broken.
*Mr. P. G. Prodromou is a former Minister of Education and an economist.
*This op-ed was translated from its Greek original
