Log in
A+ A A-

Greek public universities in dire straits

Administrative personnel at universities across the country are staging a preliminary 48 hour strike, maintaining that colleagues fired have not been placed on the mobility scheme.

University of Athens staff have warned that they will stage large scale mobilizations if any colleagues are fired.

University administrative staff are demanding that the education ministry realize the mobility scheme and secure the reposition of all staff without exceptions, and the repeal of the assessment scheme.

Meanwhile, deans and rectors throughout the country are sounding the alarm for tertiary education institutions, citing staff shortages and expressing fears whether they can function in September.

The rectorship of the school of sciences at Thessaloniki university shut down on Friday due to lack of staff. At the Athens university 17 doors were broken into because of a lack of security personnel.
In a joint interview deans from the universities spoke of the great danger facing public universities at a time when private colleges are blooming and the discussion on private universities has opened up once again.

They also expressed concerns about their finances, staff shortages, and the shrinking of activities due to funding shortages. At the same time the chair of the deans synod Demosthenes Anagnostopoulos noted that the minister of education has not accepted a meeting with them for months. He also noted that Greek universities occupy the third position from the bottom in terms of self-governance among 28 EU countries.

Thessaloniki university rector Yannis Mylopoulos noted that if there are plans to further undercut staff and funding then the government has been planning this situation on purpose. He decried the lay offs in the public sector as depriving personnel.