ATHENS – After the former ruling Radical Left SYRIZA was accused of dumbing down education, 33 percent of high school students in the first year of the New Democracy administration got perfect scores, but 33 percent annually fail college entrance exams.

The discrepancy wasn't explained although it's common for teachers to give students the highest score possible to prevent them or their parents from complaining, one-third subsequently unable to get into college.

That's even though the bar is so low for being admitted to university that even failing grades have been accepted, depending on which school a student has picked and what the quotas are.

It wasn't clear whether the high number of students receiving a 20 – equivalent to 100  in the United States – was because it was earned or just given to prevent griping as teachers have consistently refused to be evaluated.

Kathimerini said one reason likely is that because of the COVID-19 pandemic that no written exams were given at the end the 2019-20 school year, figures showing the number of those getting perfect scores jumping to 227,100 from 181,790 in 2018-19.