Teachers to march on

Universities plan further week of protests; NTUA staff return on Monday

University teachers voted yesterday to continue their protests against the government’s education reforms for an 11th week and devote their strikes to the students arrested in previous demonstrations.

The Panhellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (POSDEP) delivered its verdict late yesterday after several hours of deliberation and despite predictions that the educators would bring their three-month protests to an end.

In fact, university teachers said they will stage a rally on Wednesday in front of the court house on Evelpidon Street in Athens where 49 students, arrested during an anti-reforms rally on March 8, are due to go on trial. The teachers said they will also take part in another public rally on Thursday, in which students are also expected to participate. POSDEP did not make it clear if teachers will also stay away from work for the whole week.

The only dissenting voices were those of teachers from the National Technical University of Athens, who said that they will return to work on Monday.

Speaking earlier yesterday, Deputy Education Minister Giorgos Kalos pleaded with the teachers to end their protests. “This trouble has gone on for long enough,” said Kalos. “Nobody benefits from this situation.”

The university teachers’ main objection to the reforms passed earlier this month is that they believe the changes are the first step to weakening free public education in favor of private learning.

POSDEP has yet to make any specific counterproposals to the new law that was passed earlier this month. However, the federation agreed yesterday to survey its members next week to record which elements of the law they oppose.