With the positions of the parliamentary representatives of the parties, the debate continues in the plenary session of the Parliament on the bill of the Ministry of Education on non-profit universities. Added to the atmosphere of confrontation was the statement by Dimitris Koutsoubas about female students who are “driven to sugar daddies” due to high tuition fees, with the parliamentary representative of the KKE Nikos Karathanasopoulos to repeat it, talking about “sugar babies” and “sugar daddies” who provided services to the rich for their educational expenses.

The ND parliamentary representative, K. Tsiaras, noted that there is no reference to the unconstitutionality of the bill in the report of the Parliament’s scientific committee. Article 16 of the Constitution is clear, and what it actually prohibits is the establishment of non-state private universities, Mr. Tsiaras said. According to the ND parliamentary representative, the big step will be taken when we finally decide to revise article 16, and we will have the possibility to see higher education through a completely different logic, and have the real recognition of freedoms and rights. He also said that there are those who resist any progressive reform and there are those who are “forced” to take the difficult path, show it to society and urge citizens to follow it. And once again, the government faction and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are in the driver’s seat of the reforms, said Mr. Tsiaras.

The parliamentary representative of SYRIZA-PS, Th. Tzakri, said the bill seeks to create a chain of private education that starts with kindergarten and goes all the way to paid undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees. It is obvious that the bill is being made so that affluent young people can enter and graduate from private universities, that is, buy what their peers are toiling for. If this is not a definition of the abolition of the constitutionally guaranteed equality of citizens in the country, what is? asked Ms. Tzakri: This is a clear Franchising, this is a bill that replaces the favored public higher education with the dystopia of Mac Donald’s Universities, the member of the main opposition pointed out.

The parliamentary representative of the New Left, Evkl. Tsakalotos he said the government wants to bring in big foreign universities without seeming to know that there are problems there too with the new “proletariat” of young university students and rising student loans. As he said, if the government was really interested in Greek public education, why didn’t it bring a multi-year plan to upgrade it? If he was interested in the exodus of scientists, why didn’t he increase the salaries of university students? As for his party’s proposal to the neighboring parties to table a no-confidence motion against the government, he said it was an opportunity to show society that we take its problems seriously. It was a lost, great opportunity and I hope we have another one in the future, said Mr. Tsakalotos.

ND accuses us of only talking about the unconstitutionality of the bill and not about its substance. But for us, the Constitution is the essence, said the parliamentary representative of KO Niki, Sp. Tsironis. The Constitution leaves no room for interpretations and misinterpretations when it states that higher education is provided exclusively by NPDD and that the establishment of HEIs by private individuals is absolutely prohibited, said Mr. Tsironis, calling on the government not to respect the courts a la carte.

The parliamentary representative of KO Spartiates Al. Gervais, he said that those in power had handed over the universities to the indecency and ideological terrorism of various groups. The way for private universities, unfortunately, was paved by the discrediting of public universities, Mr. Gerveas said, noting that the government is blatantly ignoring the vast majority of the academic community, which opposes the bill.

“Sugar babies” and “sugar daddies”

To create a price list of degrees, depending on each option, spoke the parliamentary representative of the KKE, N. Karathanasopoulos, criticizing the nonprofit university bill. Commenting on what was said from the side of the coalition, about the historicity of the bill, he said that the same was said about the historicity of the Diamantopoulos law, “but this historicity will be crushed under the struggle of the students and the popular movement”. Referring to the Scandinavian model proposed by PASOK, he mentioned publications from various Western European countries, which described “sugar babies” and “sugar daddies”, i.e. girls who provided services to the rich, in order to meet their educational expenses.

This report by Mr. Karathanasopoulos provoked the reaction of ND MPs. “Most degrading and sexist statement about the female gender. Instead of coming here Mr. Karathanasopoulos and apologizing, you had the audacity to come from the podium and repeat that phrase. I return to you an earlier phrase of your Secretary, ”These are you.” They are you. Wretches, hypocrites, below par once again, Possessed by mindsets that are highly conservative, fearful and anti-reform. Every time you came here…you were never progressive. The left has always been the most regressive,” said ND MP Katerina Papakosta.

This report by Mr. Karathanasopoulos provoked the reaction of ND MPs, with the KKE MP emphasizing that “these are your projects. We denounce and condemn them,” said Mr. Karathanasopoulos. “The KKE, through the mouth of Kutsuumba, denounced a reality that has spread not only to Sweden, but to the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, etc. A platform that forces over-indebted students to provide services for a fee to cover loans. When you denounce the promoter for their emanation, this should be considered sexism, only the ND can denounce that, instead of denouncing promoters and pimps, the KKE denounces” commented Mr. Karathanasopoulos.

“We don’t want your progressivism. This progressivity belongs to you. We do not want to hide the reality under the carpet. Say “mercy” to those who do these things. On this platform. Here every word loses its meaning. When you report the promoters for reporting you as sexists. What are you covering?’ added the KKE parliamentary representative.

In her intervention, the Deputy Minister of Education Z. Makri said that “as a woman, I am very sad. It is an unacceptable sexist statement. I’m sorry that it was repeated and that you persist,” said Mrs. Makri. Let’s assume you had good intentions. Admit yourself to making an unfortunate statement. Apologize, this word has not lost its meaning. And bravery will honor you, added the deputy minister.

For his part, ND MP St. Petsas, who succeeded Mr. Karathanasopoulos at the podium, said: It is a shame what you are doing and to take it back. You are in Greece in 2024. You are not in any of the former Soviet republics of the 1980s.