Deal on student numbers reached
University rectors and the government appeared to have reached a significant agreement yesterday to give higher education institutions greater independence in deciding how many students to accept each year rather than have the process controlled by the Education Ministry. In what could prove to be a groundbreaking move that may help ease overcrowding at universities, the two sides agreed that they would meet every four years to decide how many students can enroll. Currently, the Education Ministry decrees how many senior high school graduates are accepted into tertiary education each year but the rectors are unhappy with the system as they feel the government lets too many students in. Last year, universities asked for only 25,132 new students to be enrolled but the Education Ministry gave places to 36,685. Under the new system, which is set to start from next April, the universities and the ministry will decide how many students will be accepted into each department over a four-year period. The agreement was revealed during the meeting of a relevant parliamentary committee, which the Panhellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (POSDEP) boycotted as it continued its opposition to the government’s reforms. University teachers and students are due to stage another rally in central Athens today to demand the withdrawal of the education bill.
