The paper describes a number of recent developments in lifelong education in Greece introduced by the Law 3191/2003 and 3369/2005 respectively, enforced by the inadequacy of the Greek system to meet the four objectives set out by the EU Memorandum on lifelong learning, namely those of (a) active citizenship, (b) social inclusion (c) employability (d) personal fulfilfment (CEC, 2000). In particular, the analysis focusses on the case of the General Secretariat for Adult Education and the Institute for Continuing Adult Education of the Ministry of Education and presents a number of programmes run and policies adopted by the above bodies the purpose being to modernise the system and meet the EU targets. The example of the Second Chance Schools programme (This is a flexible and innovative educational programme which provides individuals of 18 and over who have not completed the nine-year compulsory education with the possibility of obtaining a lower secondary education certificate and of well integrating into social, economic and professional life) and the 'new' policy adopted for the assessment of its trainees are used to illustrate the emergence of an insidious neo-liberal agenda which, it is argued, will have a harmful effect on the quality of the programme. The paper draws its theoretical framework from the work of Borg and Mayo (2005, p. 203) which brings out the neo-liberal tenets that underlie much of the thinking and rationale of the EU projects and policies and indicates how much of the old UNESCO discourse of lifelong education has been distrorted to accommodate capitalism's contemporary needs. The paper will underline the 'top down' approach adopted in designing and implementing the policy on Second Chance Schools' assessment as well as the lack of flexibility and democratic spirit. It is hoped that the analysis presented in this article will contribute towards the debate for a more flexible, adequate, feasible and fair method of assessment to be adopted in the case of the Second Chance Schools programme. Moreover, it aspires to pave the way so that a transparent, humane, liberal intellectual debate will flourish in the Greek context thought the involvement of all interested parties, despite pressure to bend the lifelong education policies in Greece to serve the neo-liberal agenda.Research papers and policy documents on lifelong learning and development (derived both from the European Commission and the Greek Government-Ministry of Education &General Secretariat for Adult Education) are critically reviewed in the paper.The paper will underline the 'top down' approach adopted in designing and implementing the policy on Second Chance Schools' assessment as well as the lack of flexibility and democratic spirit. It is hoped that the analysis presented in this article will contribute towards the debate for a more flexible, adequate, feasible and fair method of assessment to be adopted in the case of the Second Chance Schools programme. Moreover, it aspires to pave the way so that a transparent, humane, liberal intellectual debate will flourish in the Greek context thought the involvement of all interested parties, despite pressure to bend the lifelong education policies in Greece to serve the neo-liberal agenda.Borg, C. & Mayo, P. (2005) The EU Memorandum on lifelong learning. Old wine in new bottles? Globalisation, Socities and Education, 3,2, pp. 203-225. CEC (2000) Commission staff working paper. A memorandum on lifelong learning. Brussels: European Commission.Law 3369/2005 FEK 171 (in Greek). Law 3191/2003 FEK 258 (in Greek).To be submitted to the conference proceedings and the International Journal of Lifelong Education