The “battle” for the private universities. The government representative announced that the bill is being submitted to the national delegation, at the same time that for the 7th week students, academics, students and parents flooded the streets of Athens. The draft law received over 1,500 comments in the public consultation, with the majority of them concerning the controversial point about non-state HEIs (647 comments in total). Its vote is expected to take place on March 8.
As can be seen from her announcements Synod of Rectors to the unions of faculty members, the Mitsotakis government has lost every possible ally from the academic world. Everyone points to one thing: “End the underfunding of HEIs.” Invest in public Universities”. The alarm bells were first sounded by the rectors of the regional universities whose problems are numerous and will be the first to be affected by the establishment of the non-state ones.
The last ally of the “flagship reform” is the media of the Petsa List, which defends the bill with passion. Every 2 or 3 days a well-known University acquires a sudden “interest” in establishing a branch in the front pages of major newspapers.
Pavlos Marinakis informed at today’s briefing of the political editors that “the comments of the public consultation will be taken into account to improve the bill, but without deviating from its central philosophy. The Government has proven that it seeks dialogue with the agencies and citizens. Through the bill, 70% of which concerns the Public University, freedoms are granted to the public HEIs and their funding through the budget, the Recovery Fund and emergency aid will reach 1 billion. euro”.
Pavlos Marinakis pointed out that the draft law “sets out the conditions for the establishment of non-state non-profit branches of foreign universities in Greece, with the strictest criteria of any other country in Europe
-Each branch must have at least three Faculties, each with at least one first cycle program.
-To offer for each school at least one first cycle program, which has evaluation and certification in the context of the country of origin and is then certified by ETHAAE.
-To have the prescribed teaching staff, administrative and technical staff that ensure the secretarial organization, the organizational planning, the perfection of the facilities.
– The facility must be self-contained with appropriate building infrastructure and logistical equipment, with provisions for secondary facilities within the same prefecture. To be sufficient for the teaching and study of students, to have a functional library, laboratory and research spaces depending on the offered study programs, as well as audio-visual media and an equipped multimedia room with internet access.
All Universities (public and non-state) are evaluated by the National Higher Education Authority.
-The license is granted by decision of the Minister of Education, Religion and Sports, after approval and opinion from ETHAAE and EOPPEP, respectively.
40,000 Greek students are currently studying in universities abroad, a number that is much higher than in other countries, in Spain for example it is 35,000 and in Portugal 13,000.
This bill is an emblematic reform with the aim of enabling prospective Greek students to study from our country at a university abroad, the attraction of foreign students and foreign scientific staff, the repatriation of Greek scientists and the creation of new jobs”.
The numbers that disprove the government narrative
Magnificent are the continuous dismissals, even by the Management Boards of the HEIs, where they emphasize that the public Universities simply “don’t come out”. The dialogue pointed out by Pavlos Marinakis never took place since the government did not even open the discussion with the rector’s authorities. The Senates’ data on budgets and the tragic shortages in administrative and teaching staff are revealing. Indicative:
· His budget NTU is reduced by 63.2%, while the number of its teachers has decreased by 36.3%. From 2009 until today the number of students of the institution has increased by 20.7%.
· Its operating costs Pantheon University have decreased dramatically. Indicatively, in 2008 they amounted to 5,566,000 euros and today they are 2,071,580 euros. The reduction reaches 63% and at constant prices, while if the performance of inflation is calculated, it reaches 70%!
Regular funding is also reduced by 75.1% University of Ioannina. In 2009 it received 21,263,000 euros and today it is financed with only 5,295,000 euros.
· One teacher to 50 students is the ratio at Hellenic Mediterranean University in Crete. The state grant for its operating costs from 2009 to 2023 has shrunk by 47.4%: from €6,750,000 in 2009 to just €3,547,783 in 2023. Added to this is the all-important reduction in human resources, which in terms of the teaching staff exceeds 55%.
Read also: Thunderous “no” of students to Mitsotakis plans for private universities (Photos)
Poll at NTUA/EMMY: Eight out of ten students against Private Universities
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