“The “free” university of Mr. Mitsotakis is the private for-profit university,” the Education Department of SYRIZA-PS states in a statement, criticizing the new education bill that provides for the establishment of non-state universities.

“Mr. Mitsotakis, amid his internal difficulties, tried to unite all the neoliberal parts of his party, through the big-mouthed proclamations about the “free” university.

He invokes reasons that do not lead to such solutions. Children are studying abroad and in colleges because the ND has left them out of public universities.
He states that there will be new collaborations with public universities, when NO additional changes to the existing legislation are needed for such a thing and Greek universities already have enviable collaborations with foreign universities.

He talks about non-profits, when everyone knows that these institutions will need a lot of profits to meet their current expenses.
He constantly announces that he seeks to strengthen public universities when the government’s trial has left them to their own devices with minimal funding and no new professorships.

We are, therefore, categorically opposed to the establishment of private ones.
A “free” university for Mr. Mitsotakis, however, is a university that is dependent on private interests, which will, after all, finance it.
A “free” university, also, for Mr. Mitsotakis, means an expensive university in terms of fees.
A “free” university for the Prime Minister means a gravestone to the State, which for years he has despised and deliberately undermined both with his legislative initiatives and with the disparaging references to it by the executives of his Government.
A “free” university, finally, for the Government of the ND is a university founded on the wreckage of the Constitution which, at least, it tears up and interprets as it pleases.

In practice, then, what Mr. Mitsotakis’ “free” university portends is an expensive, market-driven institution with a very dubious quality of education.
SYRIZA-PS declares in all tones that no matter how many legal alchemies the “excellents” of the ND strike, it will not accept any attempt to level equal access to higher education and will firmly defend its public character and its upgrading” the announcement concludes .