The Crazy World of English in Greece

The guys at Fullspate live and work in Greece and they have had ample opportunity to reflect upon all the perversities of the EFL business in this once glorious country.

First a few facts: It often seems as if everyone here is learning English. Every block in every city has a little English school. It is BIG business. There is a panic amongst parents for their offspring to get the coveted proficiency certificate (Cambridge CPE or the Michigan ECPE) before they begin the final preparations for the university entrance exams at the age of 16.

So what's the problem? Trying to get 14 and 15-year-old kids through an intensive course in the sort of difficult formal English that is normally only expected from articulate arts undergraduates at university has often left us with the feeling that we are trying to teach kids to run before they have even learnt to walk well.

Those are just our feelings and could easily be dismissed. Less easy to dismiss are the statistics. The official figures from Cambridge University indicate that things are not going well here in Greece. Greek candidates are desperately close to the bottom of the league table. In 2005 the top place was taken by Malaysia, where 94% of candidates passed. Down at the bottom is Cyprus (with a 38% pass rate) and second from the bottom is Greece, in which only 43% of candidates passed. (To see the table click here.)

Clearly the system in Greece is ailing. Why? Costas Gabrielatos, an academic in the field of EFL, has written a couple of very good articles on this subject. Read what Costas has to say here.

We have our own advice for younger students who are under pressure to get the proficiency certificate before they start shaving. Read it here.