Greek parliament approves controversial bill to allow private universities

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Parliament approved early Saturday the conservative New Democracy (ND) government’s education reform bill that allows the establishment of private universities in the country.

It was approved in a 159 - 129 vote from the 299 lawmakers who participated.

Eleven lawmakers abstained.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defended the bill during a debate in a plenary session by arguing that it would strengthen public education and provide a new generation of youth with equal academic opportunities.

“Greece cannot remain any longer captive to doctrines and anachronistic concepts,” he said.

Main opposition left-wing SYRIZA’s leader Stefanos Kasselakis maintained that the bill, which he called an unconstitutional endeavor, would turn universities into supermarkets.

Moreover, the president of the social-democratic PASOK party, Nikos Androulakis, asserted that the bill does not propose real reform in higher education.

"It does not give any answer to the problems of education and does not deal with the chronic problems,” he said.

Greek Communist Party’s (KKE) leader Dimitris Koutsoubas claimed it is part of the government’s larger plan to commercialize the higher education sector.

The next step will be introducing tuition fees to free public universities, he added.

Speaking for left-wing the New Left party, Alexis Haritsis noted the Constitution strictly does not allow the establishment of private universities.

Moreover, he vowed that the party would continue to fight the reform and the government by large.

Mitsotakis, who announced the higher education reforms in December, said under the changes, private universities would be able to operate as Greek branches of foreign educational institutions, some of which are already seeking to operate in Greece.

Greece has 24 accredited public universities, as well as several private colleges.

Prior to the bill, the Constitution prohibited private institutions from operating as independent universities for post-secondary education.

Colleges generally overcame that constraint via collaboration agreements with foreign universities to offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Opposing the bill, university students and staff, supported by left-wing trade unions and parties, railed for the last nine weeks and occupied university facilities, leading many schools to conduct classes and exams online.