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Anastasia Balezdrova

Call to the members of the Parliamen not to vote the on the draft framework for higher education before having heard the suggestions of academics addressed the rectors of Greek universities. They stand against the conduct of a protest at the universities at the beginning of the academic year in the fall and explained that if there are still occupations, they will be due to the problems that its implementation will cause. 

At today's press conference the heads of the universities did not exclude the possibility to appeal to the justice system the day after the vote on the law by the Parliament. They stated firmly that he would not accept "any appointed managers".

According to the rectors the bill actually destroys the Greek state universities and breaks their way of organization. "We found that none of the proposals of the Council of Rectors and the academic community was included in the bill. On the other hand we observe the progressive withdrawal of the state from the main obligations that it had in regards to the textbooks and care for the students". The rector of the University of Peloponnese Theodoros Papateodorou urged the lawmakers to get acquainted with the objections of the Council of Rectors, as well as of the comprised of experts in constitutional law committee.

"In recent days we observe an inexplicable attack aimed at lowering the prestige of Greek universities and the teachers there, and a selective attack against all of us who do not agree with the opinions of the Ministry of Education. We have been accused that we protect the universities in order to keep our jobs. Look through the history of Greek universities to find rectors, whose mandate has exceeded the time limit to four years. None of us will be at his present work place after four years. While those who make the attacks against us are at the same positions for 20-30 years," said the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Yannis Milopoulos.

Rectors took a stand against "the privatization of state universities, which according to the draft law will operate under the market conditions without internal democracy in the management and without academic rules. The cost for their operation will be transferred to the students and their families, because the bill does not provide for even a minimal government funding of the education and the scientific researches."

Yannis Milopoulos said explicitly that the bill was "aimed against the public and serves foreign interests. It violates the "back door" Article 16 of the Constitution, which states that universities are state institutions and have their own government bodies and it opens the way for the privatization of the higher education." He said, however that the rectors are not against private universities, but totally disagree with the destruction of the state ones in favor of the private ones.

The rectors indicated that if the bill is accepted, the diplomas to be issued by the university will have no weight, since the internal structure that provides the quality of the education will not exist. About their 250 colleagues who gathered signatures in support of the bill, the rectors pointed out compared with the total number of university lectors, which is about 12 500 "they are 2 to 2.5 per cent and they are members of various councils and committees i.e. people from the ministry. Against their views are not only rectors but also the boards of all universities in the country. The vast majority of the members of the academic community are against this bill and the Parliament and the Ministry of Education are obliged to take this into account. "

To the reports that appeared recently stating that the rectors may turn to protest actions which will lead to occupation of universities Theodoros Papateodorou replied that "during the past academic year, during which dozens of discussions were held regarding the upcoming changes about the contents of which we were not aware, the universities were opened, there was no occupation even for a day. Our job as rectors is to ensure that the universities will be opened and will continue operate, because we are responsible before the university community. We take the academic and administrative responsibility for the functioning of the universities. We can not take responsibility for the consequences of voting for this bill. But do not expect us to put universities in a state of inaction." According to the rectors any response would be "on behalf of the society which will be convinced of the rightness of our position."

Yannis Milopoulos added that Greek universities are among the top 300 universities in the world. "But which university are we actually talking about? About the one which the ministry presents as being second category? Or about the Athens Polytechnic University and the Aristotle University which few days ago were awarded?"

Rectors said further that the bill does not solve any of the essential problems in the universities such as the refuges. "Who believes that the problem can be solved just because the term is not mentioned in the legal text? Practically, the governments are the ones that will once again have to deal with any similar situation."

"The Commission of experts in constitutional law will examine the bill article by article and will give its arguments for each one separately. Against the opinions of 8 of the most prominent specialists there are only two, and one is not even an opinion, but just an article in the Sunday edition of a newspaper."

Rectors have requested meetings with the President Karolos Papoulias and the Prime Minister George Papandreou and have started a campaign to inform the public in order to thwart the vote on the bill with its current content.