Educational Reforms

[Megale]

Good idea or more protests to come???

Article below:

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[01] Karamanlis: 'Education reforms backed by citizens', education minister details proposals
The Inner Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, on Tuesday unveiled and quickly approved the education ministry's long-awaited draft bill for higher education reforms, outlining the exact changes the Karamanlis government hopes will rejuvenate Greece's university system.
In brief televised comments immediately afterwards, Karamanlis said the four primary axes envisioned, among others, encourage universities' autonomy and the independent management of their finances; promote their wider role in society; upgrade degrees bestowed by Greek higher education institutions and, especially, curtail political parties' influence in rectors' elections by mandating a vote by all registered students.

"There are no margins for deadlock and stagnation. Citizens, young people and their families want changes," he stressed, adding: "Now is the time for decisions. Mature reforms for a mature society. We have exhausted all margins for dialogue."

In touching on the heated opposition to the prospects of such reforms, spearheaded primarily by the university professors' union (POSDEP) and the leftist opposition, Karamanlis noted that "certain minority opinions are reacting to change."

"The goal is to upgrade state universities, for Greek degrees to become more prestigious and for degree-holders to find employment corresponding to their qualifications," the premier added.

In terms of the contentious university asylum regime, Karamanlis said that not only was the asylum law "not being abolished, but instead it is being upgraded to safeguard the free exchange of ideas, something that is today being impeded by unrestrained violence."

In addressing her counterparts at the Inner Cabinet meeting, Education and Religious Affairs Minister Marietta Yiannakou outlined the draft bill's provisions.

In terms of the Constitutional revision process and the government's stated intent to eventually revise Article XVI in order to allow the establishment and operation of recognised non-state universities in the country, Parliament is slated to hold its first vote on Thursday on which relevant articles will be eligible for revision by the Parliament plenum to arise from the next general elections, which will be a revisionary Parliament. A second vote is scheduled to come at the end of March.

Education minister details draft bill

In a subsequent wide-ranging press conference, Yiannakou detailed the provisions of the draft bill first outlined by Karamanlis, as well as fielding press questions during a conference carried live by the state-run broadcaster and other television stations.

In reply to a bevy of questions regarding the university asylum regime - a taboo subject for much of the opposition ' Yiannakou said the draft bill envisions that each university's council of rectors -- or the administrative council at the tertiary Technical Educational Institutes (TEIs) -- will be responsible for deciding when the need arises to lift the asylum, a decision that will also necessitate the presence of a judicial officer.

"Academic asylum exists to serve the freedom of (exchange of) ideas and not to facilitate criminal behaviour. The state is creating flexible conditions so that university officials have the responsibility to autonomously protect the real meaning of asylum and the students who want to learn without hindrance, as well as state university campuses, which are the property of the Greek people," Yiannakou emphasised.

She also noted that it was up to university boards themselves to define what areas of their campuses will enjoy asylum status, which at present expressly forbids the presence of law enforcement personnel and uniformed military officers in higher education facilities.

Regarding the controversial issue of "eternal undergraduates", she said an eight-year ceiling is proposed for students to finish four-year degree programmes, with at another two semesters possibly granted if extenuating circumstances arise. She said this measure is expected to come into effect for new admissions during the fall semester (September), whereas undergraduates can suspend their studies -- and by extension, their collegiate status - and retain the right of re-admission into the same programme.

Selection of a school's rector and its two vice-rectors, according to Yiannakou, is expected to be realised via election by the entire registered student body and not by representatives of political party-affiliated student groups, as is the case now.

The education minister, a psychiatrist by training, said the proposed charges in rectors' elections even comes amid opposition by the ruling New Democracy party's own affiliated students' group, DAP, which regularly wins the majority of seats in student elections at most tertiary institutes around the country, as she said.

Other high-profile proposals include:

ü Election and appointment of tenured university researchers exclusively by the school's organs, with the education ministry limited to validating the legality of the relevant appointments.

ü Allocation of at least one free textbook per lesson, and the obligatory provision, by professors/lecturers, of a bibliography and syllabus for each lesson.

ü Availability of financial aid to eligible students via interest-free loans as well as scholarships in return

for on-campus employment.

ü Universities' obligation to list detailed information regarding academic programmes, administrative issues and their finances on dedicated websites.

ü Buttressing tertiary education institutions' financial and administrative autonomy with the tabling of four-year development plans outlining their academic, research and organisational needs over the period.

In response to other questions, Yiannakou dismissed the possibility that the heated issue of education reform will lead to early elections, saying merely that the "government is behaving institutionally, in contrast to other governments we witnessed in the past. The government has no reason to call early elections over this matter".

Debate on the draft bill will begin next week in Parliament's education affairs committee.

[MIKLAGARD]

Otan ola afta ginoune praksis Megale tote to sizitame ~

[Ellinas]

Personally I agree with some of the proposals of the government regarding the supreme education reforms, but most of their proposals have a profiteering purpose.

It is sure that most protests will come, but most of them are guided by political parties. That's why I don't get involved.