Anti-constitutional and anti-reform”, SYRIZA-PS parliamentary representative and Head of Education, Dionysis Kalamatianos, characterizes the bill for higher education presented by the Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis.

In his announcement, Mr. Kalamatianos states: “In a climate of threats, authoritarianism, repression, arrests and violence against students, professors and teachers who defend public education, the minister Mr. Pierrakakis presented the unconstitutional and anti-reform bill that provides for the establishment of private universities. It is obvious that the government is moving ahead with the implementation of its plan. He does not respect the Constitution. He does not understand either from the dynamic mobilizations of the students, nor from the strong protection front of the Public University that the academic community has formed».

He then argues that “the government is trying to deceive society by giving the controversial draft law the title ‘Strengthening the Public University – Framework for the operation of non-profit branches of foreign universities’. However, no matter how much it plays with words, no matter how much it wants to beautify its intentions, the truth is one: the ND government wants to establish private universities, not – as it falsely claims – to strengthen the Public University, but because he seeks to degrade and exile it to serve private interests. Already, in the bill presented by the Minister of Education, among other things, mergers and abolition of Departments that were established during the SYRIZA government are foreseen».

Referring to the position of SYRIZA-PS, he clarifies: “We do not accept the dissolution of public Higher Education. We do not accept a mutated academic education that will feed social inequalities by making fees and the power of each and everyone’s pocket a prerequisite. We seek to protect and strengthen the Public University, with resources, with personnel and research means. We will not allow Higher Education to mutate into a business field, with profit as its object. The Public University is a pillar of knowledge, research and culture and we must make it even better so that it can more successfully fulfill its mission and purpose».