THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON LEARNING IN GREECE: INVESTIGATION OF THE UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAMS

It has been evidenced by a number of studies and international organizations that the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to schooling around the world; drastic measures were undertaken for the health of people, among which were school closures. The expected impact on student learning was big and, in most cases, led to learning loss; a cost that may seriously affect human capital accumulation, productivity, and the quality of life for individuals and societies. The aim of this study was to explore the case of school closures in Greece, during the pandemic. It used the results of the Panhellenic University Entrance Exams (PUEE) by comparing the achievements of the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 student cohorts with those of the previous school year (2018-2019). A considerable loss seems to be present in both years, as opposed to the year before the pandemic. Several interesting issues arose regarding the learning effectiveness of the type of education provided (distance, tele-education, blended or other); these are presented with reference to the current educational debate in Greece. It is shown that the most vulnerable are those that experienced the pandemic measures for two subsequent years. Also, some suggestions for remedial measures are provided for increased future effectiveness. Article visualizations