A team of Greek academics from some of the world’s top universities called on the government yesterday to deliver changes to help improve Greece’s tertiary education, such as altering a law offering campus immunity from authorities.

“Greece is at a point from which it must diverge immediately. We do not have the luxury to delay,” said Loukas Kalisperis, a professor at Pennsylvania State University in the USA.

The academics told a conference on education that measures such as improving research and securing the smooth operation of universities will help the sector.

Proposals include changing legislation that provides students and academics with immunity from the police while on university grounds. Academics also pointed to the growing competition in the sector from other countries.

“From 2007, Bulgaria will enter the European Union and will compete against us as they have created English-language universities. It is a serious country with no sit-in protests and such stupidities. It also has the nerve to shut down faculties after assessing them,” said Professor Thanos Veremis, who was in charge of a panel of academics that prepared a list of reforms for the government earlier this year.

Greek universities are not currently subject to any form of external assessment.