“We look to the future optimistically. The stability of the country has been won and this budget is the solid foundation on which we can build many important changes. But beyond the purely economic condition, there is also a political condition. Greece, step by step since 2019, has become a reliable interlocutor and is now a co-shaper, under the leadership of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Brussels”.

This was emphasized by the Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakisduring his discussion state budget 2025in the Plenary Session of the Parliament.

Emphasis was given by Mr. Pierrakakis on the partnership of Greek public universities with prestigious international universities, saying characteristically: “Yes, it is a fact. In September 2025, an outdated taboo will be broken.” At the same time, he said he would call on all opposition parties to make comprehensive, costed proposals for education.

As he said, “the total education expenditure, as calculated by Eurostat, is 9.58 billion. euros for the year, and this places us at 3.9% of GDP, while the Eurozone average is 4.6% and the EU 4.7%”.

“So we are not yet where we would like to be. But the way you get to that point is step by step with reliability and consistent choices,” he pointed out.

He then spoke about changes promoted by the leadership of the Ministry of Education, noting among other things:

– the ban on cell phones in schools, an initiative embraced by 86% of public opinion.

– the 10,000 permanent appointments in education.

– in every school from 5th grade and up until the end of the year they will have an interactive board.

-starts with 250 million euros the “Marietta Giannakou” program for interventions in school buildings.

– the digital tutorial is also introduced in public education, which initially concerns the 3rd year of high school but will be expanded to all classes.

The Minister of Education placed particular emphasis on the establishment of non-profit private universities in our country, strongly criticizing the comments, mainly by PASOK and SYRIZA, that large foreign universities have not come.

“I knew that some did not vote for the law. I didn’t know they didn’t read him. Because the law foresees that the universities will come from September 2025 and will start in principle from the public university. The internationalization programs were analyzed at the Rectors’ Summit,” said the minister and added that “leading proposals have been submitted by all our highest public institutions for partnerships, for joint master’s degrees between Greek public universities and leading foreign universities.

And yes, within 2025 we will see the breaking of a historical taboo, an unnecessary taboo in public education. Non-state, non-profit universities will be established in Greece, as is a timeless demand and as the majority of Greek public opinion wants,” emphasized Mr. Pierrakakis.

He added that the government “has not only focused on their internationalization, but this year 1,000 appointments of faculty members in Greek public universities were announced and will be launched quickly.”

“I ask: did you do it when you ruled? The answer to all that you say is that you have an excess of hypocrisy in your criticism. It is time to be able to support choices because there needs to be a foundation of consensus on a number of parameters related to education,” said Mr. Pierrakakis, commenting on the stance of PASOK and SYRIZA.

He also spoke about “obsession with the same recipes” stressing that “it is not possible that the field of education has become in the last 10 years the absolute field of political confrontation in Greece and in everything we talk about with slogans”.

“We, in a state of 10 million, are small in numbers to be so divided, to have such disagreements, especially on issues that are existential to the state of the country. Precisely for this reason, both in terms of new legislative initiatives for schools, universities and vocational training, I will ask the opposition parties to submit comprehensive and costed proposals, which we will very reluctantly adopt as policy leadership of the Ministry of Education, wherever they will be compatible with the worthwhile goals we have set, precisely because we must move quickly and forward”, concluded Mr. Pierrakakis.

Confrontation between the Minister of Education and the parliamentary representatives of PASOK, SYRIZA New Left

Responding to the Minister of Education, the parliamentary representative of PASOK-KINAL, Dimitris Manzos, countered that “PASOK is justified for the structured and documented opposition it has exerted to the government, insisting on the operation of non-state for-profit universities, a position it has supported for 20 years, without shifts,” as he said.

“There has never been any dialogue, neither with the parties nor with the educational community. We are here for the citizens who are waiting for proposals and not for a government that makes schematic use and invokes dialogue only when it suits it”, added Mr. Manzos.

The parliamentary representative of SYRIZA PS, Christos Giannoulis, accused the Minister of Education of blackmail, stressing that “it is dishonest to prejudge a negative attitude of the opposition in order to create impressions that Harvard will come to Greece, silencing the problems that exist in education , with public universities turned into dens.”

Commenting, the ND parliamentary representative, Anna Efthymiou, spoke of “ideological obsession with public universities”, adding that “PASOK is a party of permanent no to everything, a PASOK a la SYRIZA and SYRIZA – Tsiriza”.

For her part, the parliamentary representative of the New Left, Meropi Tzoufi, accused the government of “insisting on the unconstitutional law it voted for private universities, while at the same time choosing policies that lead to understaffing and the degradation of public universities.”

“I apologize to Mr. Giannouli. Indeed, Harvard will not come. Yale has filed a request to come, New York University, along with 15 other major universities. You will see these in practice” commented the Minister of Education for his part.

In closing, Mr. Pierrakakis again attacked PASOK, accusing it of having a contradictory position on non-state universities.

He added, in a mocking tone, that yesterday, “the education sector of the party uploaded, but then took down, an announcement about the ib program, claiming that I am acting as a promoter of foreign programs, an institutional framework that was passed by the government of Andreas Papandreou in 1995 with Minister of Education Giorgos Papandreou”.