By Lydia Ntourountou
April
“No to private universities” and “Free education for all” read some of the signs seen in the protests that shook numerous cities of Greece from the beginning of January until the end of March. Students and teachers took to the streets to express their opposition to the proposition of a legislation titled “Free university,” aiming to improve Greek higher education, all while hiding some important contradictions.
The education system in Greece might not be fundamentally different from other European countries, however it does present a major particularity: foreign and non-state universities are prohibited from opening branches in the country. According to Article 16 of the Constitution: “Education at university level shall be provided exclusively by institutions which are fully self-governed public law legal persons. These institutions shall operate under the supervision of the State and are entitled to financial assistance from it.” And while a couple of private universities do exist (such as The American College of Greece) , they are seen as inferior in terms of recognition and are not necessarily as appreciated by the population. This stems from the belief that the diploma acquired by someone who studied hard to pass the Panhellenic (university entrance) exams and got into a public university, should not be considered equal to someone who did not put in the same effort, but had the financial means that helped them get into a private one. While this might sound absurd to most, considering that private and branches of foreign universities exist almost everywhere around the world, in a country such as Greece, ensuring that higher education remains public has been a fundamental goal.
So, the question remains: will the new law passed by the Parliament put at risk public higher education, or will it reshape the education landscape in Greece, attracting foreign students, and possibly, investments? The Ministry of Education defines the term "Free University" to describe, on one hand, the strengthening and additional autonomy of public academic institutions and, on the other hand, the liberation of higher education from an anachronistic state monopoly. According to the new Bill, students enrolling at private branches of private universities, will have to meet certain criteria, such as going through Panhellenic exams and achieving a minimum pass mark for the subject they intend to study. However, couldn’t this still be criticized as unconstitutional, given the fact that the law directly violates Article 16? To answer this concern, the Ministry of Education underlined the importance of not considering the Constitution as a series of legal principles frozen in time, but rather as something that needs to be interpreted according to the context and the changes that a country must go through to evolve.
Since this topic has caused polemic reactions in Greece, I decided that it was necessary to ask the opinion of a student currently studying in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (UoA), who could share their view on a decision that directly impacts them and their education.
Why do you think the new bill allowing the establishment of branches of foreign private universities in Greece has caused such strong reactions from students and professors equally?
A: There was a severe lack of information on the law and what changes exactly it would bring, which aggravated the situation. But most importantly, the bill “Free university” could depreciate the diplomas obtained from state universities, as well as “reduce” the effort that students put in, in order to get into university. As far as the value of the diploma goes, so far having graduated from a state university has been appreciated more than graduating from a private one.
Do you think that this law would deteriorate public higher education, or do you consider that certain progress might come out of it?
I personally believe that it’s extremely important that as a country we have maintained and protected our right to free higher education for all. Also, it is true that students put in a lot of effort to get into university and the depreciation of their diploma is a real risk. However, it’s possible that more international students might choose Greece to study thanks to the availability of English taught classes. Even if universities such as UoA already have classes taught in English, these universities might have a more organized approach. Problems might arise however, if the State reduces even more the funding that it provides to public universities, in order to benefit foreign ones.
While this law remains extremely contradictory, it is important to highlight the fact that having branches of foreign universities and non-state ones, could contribute to the effort of reducing the Brain drain that the country has long suffered, by attracting international students and foreign investments. However, could this necessarily be considered the best solution, considering state universities in Greece are already facing numerous problems, such as a lack of funding and academic staff, hampering their ability to meet the demands of students seeking quality higher education?