The decade of 1980 was marked in Greece by a great political breakthrough. Succeeding the end of dictatorship, a social-democratic government was elected for the first time in Greece in 1981. One measure, prevalent in the educational policy of the new government, was to ”merge” the technical, vocational education with the general, academic one. Thus, in 1984 the Integrated Multivalent Lyceum was founded. This kind of school soon proved to be a great success. It seemed to respond adequately to the goals the educational policy had set, a policy which aimed at turning the students of upper secondary education from the academically directed general lyceum, which traditionally led to University, to those courses which prepared students to be thoroughly trained for a vocation, having, thus, the chance to enter the labor market soon after their graduation. In fact, a fourth year (the specialization year) was added, during which the graduates had the chance to be granted with a particular certificate in vocational education, useful in their pursuit of a proper job. Students responded to the educational planning accordingly. As a result, while in 1984 only a quarter of the total student population had chosen to attend the courses the vocational education offered within the framework of IML, 15 years later, this proportion was totally different, having much more students (an approximately 53% of the total student population) choose to attend the vocational courses. It was indeed a great breakthrough, bearing in mind that in Greece, VET has traditionally gained a relatively low social status. However, after the 16th year of its implementation, this really successful type of school was abolished. Surprisingly, it was abolished by the same Minister who had taken measures for the IML’s further development and its spreading all over the country just two years before proceeding with its abolition.

The proposing paper’s (project) concern is to present and interpret the inconsistency of this educational policy. That is to say, the inconsistency which lies in the fact that an educational institution has been further developed and supported by the same political party which founded the IML and a Minister who, though substantially supportive at first, went along with its abolition two years later. The interpretation of this inconsistency will lead us to the analysis of likewise attitudes in educational policy.