“Organized as a Greek”. This is an oxymoron; for I know first hand that it applies to the majority of my compatriots, who expect to deliver miracles at the last minute without any preparation whatsoever.
Let’s take for example the latest announcement by the Greek ministry of Education (and Religious Affairs, I should add): there are no funds to print school books on time, with classes starting next week. Printing is an offset process that requires freshly printed books to be delivered to every student of the compulsory 12 year education system (6 years of grade school plus 6 years of high school).
The problem lies in the process: every year, students waste their school books, by tossing, ripping or burning them. They don’t have to pay a single euro for them and aren’t penalized for not returning them.
My father, whom I’d describe as a bibliophile beyond any logical measure, would throw a fit if as much as a book’s page were to be bent; many times I faced his wrath when a book was placed open, face down on the desk.
I can’t imagine what he’d do or say if he saw me defacing my school books or burning them at the end of the school year, and yet I did both – back in the day. Teenagers belong to the same species as lemmings as far as behavioral copying is concerned.
So the Greek ministry of education won’t deliver books on time this year. And yet, the solution is right in their hands, having produced the full range of the educational books – all beautiful and informational, I must add – as Adobe PDF files. Any student can view, download *and* print the school books for free.
The link for the Greek digital school is in Greek only: http://digitalschool-4.minedu.gov.gr
Na’se kala Theo. Our kids have yet to receive their books this year, and this is daily school!
Peter, you’re welcome. In the era of electronic information there is no excuse for lack of education 🙂 PDF files should do the trick and save some forests in the process. Just don’t print the files!