Greece in a flap over the flag
The privilege of carrying the national flag at military parades will no longer be reserved for only the best pupils in Greece from now on. Minister of Education Gavroglou has decided that in future a lottery will decide which pupils hold the flag, provoking a heated debate about what values schools should instill in children.
The best pupils must be rewarded
Web portal Protagon criticises the minister's decision:
“In a world that is increasingly based on competition and where optimal performance and know-how are rewarded, the Ministry of Education is sending the message that the best grades are not what counts. That all pupils, whether excellent, mediocre or bad, will all be judged by chance alone. And if by chance the worst pupil wins the lottery, he will know that you don't need to make an effort to be rewarded. And the best pupil, standing in the last row of the parade, will learn that it isn't enough to be competent in life. You won't be judged fairly anyway.”
Less competition at last
Less pressure on children at Greek schools is a good thing, Tvxs comments:
“The pursuit of optimisation that leads to a lifelong struggle should not influence the socialisation process - particularly not in small children. Because this will allow them to be happy while others who are affected by this struggle - no matter how much money they earn later on - will always be unhappy. It's that simple. … In their confusion the neoliberals believe that life is just one big competition. Male-female, winner-loser, big-small, and so on. … It is a very good thing that the ministry has removed an obstacle to the positive socialisation of children at school.”