Private university

Greek students enrolling at private branches of foreign universities founded in Greece will be required to go through the local nationwide university entrance exams and meet some minimum requirements in order to be offered a place, Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said on Wednesday while unveiling draft legislation allowing the establishment of private universities in the country.

The government could not have asked for better promotion of its bill allowing the establishment of private universities than that provided by the squatters at public universities.

Lawlessness, extensive graffiti, and violence are due to a minority that is holding them hostage.

The Education Ministry is urging universities to conduct exams electronically, as sit-in protests by students opposing the government's planned education reforms are keeping faculties closed and raising the risk of exam periods being indefinitely postponed.

A student and teacher rally will take place at noon Thursday at the Propylaea, central Athens, against the establishment of private universities.

At the same time, the Greek Federation of Secondary Education State School Teachers (OLME) has announced a three-hour work stoppage from 11 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon in order for teachers to participate in the demonstrations.

A recent review by The Guardian of universities makes reference to how the "Australian lesson might spark much-needed change" and raises questions on whether politicians also need to answer questions like, What happens if a university goes bust?

Thousands of Greek students rallied in Athens and other cities on Thursday to protest against planned education reforms that would allow the introduction of private universities in the country.

Recent generations of Greek university graduates have grown up in a climate where the dream of prosperity that flourished in the period of post-dictatorship reformation started to fade. They experienced a serious economic crisis and uncertainty.

Encouraged by how far Greek society has come and eager to exploit his dominance in the last election and the persistent disarray in the opposition, the prime minister is pressing on with an important educational reform: the establishment of private universities.

Private educational institutions could launch their operation in Greece from the 2025-2026 academic year, or by the end of this government's tenure, said Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis in an interview on ALPHA TV on Wednesday evening.

The National Authority for Higher Education will be the final arbiter of whether private institutions of higher education select their students on the basis of criteria that meet a minimum level of knowledge.