By Antonis Anzoletou

The easiest thing in politics is for the “ball” to jump from one “terrain” to another. This will happen in a few weeks when the government will bring forward the bill to establish non-state universities. It will be voted on by the beginning of February. THE Kyriakos Pierrakakis he is working feverishly in this direction, and the course of things is set. The discussion before and after it goes to Parliament will automatically pass to society and much more to the student movement and the youth.

The two parliamentary forces that will try to play a leading role in this field with distinct movements, initiatives and perspectives are the KKE and the New Left. THE Pan-Student Cooperation Movement in recent years it has dramatically raised its percentages in the Higher Institutions. According to her, after all, she holds the first place for two consecutive years, without however being recognized by the DAP, the faction close to New Democracy. Regardless of the signal given by the KKE, it is expected to rally its forces more. The Communist Party describes the government’s plan for non-state universities as a “provocation” and an “attack on the rights of the youth”. As Perissos has pointed out in his statement, the government’s announcements “hit the value of the degree, strengthen the commercialization of education, while access to university education is judged even more by the wallet of each family”. It will be a battle from which Dimitris Koutsoubas will attempt to gain additional points by consolidating the party in double-digit poll percentages and threatening his third place SYRIZA.

The same dynamic attitude has been kept until now by New Left who sees this specific bill as the best opportunity to meet with the radical part of the youth that is looking for a political shelter. Its top executives in public positions have already called them to “front disobedience to the government’s plans”. They emphasize that the establishment of private universities should not be allowed. “To defeat the ideological core of the Right-wing government, which sees privatization and the demolition of public infrastructure as a solution to every problem,” they say.

Will there be a different attitude from SYRIZA? In Koumoundourou, even during the years of power, they were looking for a way to create a strong student faction, but they never succeeded. THE Stefanos Kasselakis in a meeting he had with journalists before Christmas he was clear that he is not going to support the bill that the government will bring. They point out that their only goal is to strengthen public education. Different voices have already been heard from MPs who, however, have reformed a few hours later through other positions. It is a fact that so far they have focused more on the intentions of the government than on private interests active in the field of education. The Education sector was clearer with the “no” it said to the promoted bill.

In the PASOK have decided to take a wait-and-see attitude. In the event that they decide to support the bill, the leftist forces are determined to attack it by placing it in the “block” of the conservative forces. Maybe in Harilaou Trikoupi they wish not to cut ties with the center-right audience by trying to penetrate more into the “fields” of the blue faction? In any case, they are waiting to see the bill in its entirety, they clarify, however, that the non-profit nature of the specific institutions is an inviolable condition in order to vote “for”. “If a non-profit university is established on the standards of European and American universities, PASOK will not stand in the way, but if the ND. brings something, which undermines the public and trades degrees through a private and speculative market without criteria, then we will be negative”, Nikos Androulakis has stated. Will PASP, which remains a traditional force in the student movement, go along with this view? In the coming days, the fermentation in student and academic circles, as well as the appointments that will be made between Mr. Pierrakakis and the parties will be very important.