The president of PASOK – KINAL, Nikos Androulakis, strongly criticizes the government’s bill for non-state universities, with an article in the newspaper “To Vima tis Kyriakis”. It also explains the counter-proposal submitted by PASOK-Movement for Change.

Specifically, Mr. Androulakis states: “It is presented by the government as the “Holy Grail” of reforms. Except that even in this case, the path of the previous four years of the New Democracy government is being followed: reforms in name, written in closed rooms without any dialogue initiative and composition”, while he adds that “it is a constitutional stunt to establish profit-making annexes and not universities in Greece”.

He claims that “no matter how much the New Democracy and its communication arms try to reverse the reality, it is now obvious that the government’s bill is aimed at settling interests. Who thinks that a private for-profit university abroad, in collaboration with a for-profit fund, will establish a “NON” for-profit branch in Greece?”

Mr. Androulakis points out that PASOK-KINAL’s proposal for strengthening the public university, public post-secondary education schools and also for the proper operating framework of non-state – non-profit universities, is complete and consistent with his program, as it was submitted and in the last national elections.

“We don’t prohibit, but we regulate and that’s why in the past we have supported the revision of article 16 of the Constitution so that this can become a reality with strict conditions and criteria,” he notes, explaining what the Nordic model proposed by his party is.

“… the creation of non-state – non-profit universities must follow some specific conditions and this can only be achieved by revising Article 16 of the Constitution. We insist on the non-profit nature, not out of ideology, but because we want any profits to be channeled back into the university, to upgrade education and the quality of the studies provided. We want the non-state – non-profit universities that will be established, to function in addition to the public universities and to help in the wider upgrading of the level of studies in our country. To be a pole of attraction for students and researchers. “After all, the most important non-state universities abroad, such as Harvard and Yale in America or Bocconi in Europe, are non-profit making”, emphasizes Nikos Androulakis.

Also included in the proposal is a common admission system for both public and non-state universities, as well as the institutionalization of geographical and academic criteria, the creation of a common quality assurance framework, which, as he underlines, “should be undertaken by a truly independent authority, such as those that New Democracy has been fighting for the last few years, where its head will not be the chosen one of the respective Minister, like today, who reports directly to the Ministry of Education.”

“PASOK’s proposal adapts higher education to successful academic and social standards of other European countries. SYRIZA’s position expresses immobility. The proposal of the New Democracy repeats the recipe that was also applied to Health: high costs, low quality services and new inequalities”, concludes the president of PASOK-KINAL.