23-06-16 Nikos Filis Hot Doc Magazine Interview

 Will you fulfil your political pledge regarding the hiring of permanent teaching staff?

 We have a three-year plan to hire 20,000 teachers at all school levels, primarily primary and secondary, which we have submitted to Greece’s lenders for discussion. This year we had no permanent appointments because there was a delay in the lenders’ evaluation of Greece’s economic programme. As of 2017, we will be hiring permanent staff. We are determined to insist on this target and to put an end to the lack of appointments that has bedeviled the education system.

The opposition charges that you want to abolish all-day schools, which would in fact reduce the number of teachers by 7,000. What is the situation after all?

 Not only are all-day schools not being abolished, they are being expanded and enriched with new subjects – such as computers, theatre and music – which until now were available only in certain schools. Now we are giving all students in almost all schools in the country the same opportunity as those in larger schools in urban centres had. All the operational shortcomings will be covered with the hiring of thousands of substitute teachers, as has been the case in the last years. We have for the first time perhaps conducted an exhaustive study of all the shortfalls in the educational system, so as to best utilize educational personnel and to proceed with hiring the required number of substitutes.

In tertiary education, which has been hard hit by funding shortages, are there thoughts of imposing tuition, of linking universities with the market, or of the creation of private tertiary institutions? The report from the national dialogue on education says the ministry should adopt policies that give universities the ability to raise their own funding, domestically and abroad.

 Indeed, the university system faces its most critical impasse of the last 35 years. Given the dire fiscal framework, we are obliged to review what capabilities we might create for universities to secure more funding, but certainly NOT by introducing tuition. The Dialogue Committee’s proposal speaks of possible revenues from attracting research projects, exploiting the product of innovations from university research, and from collaborations between universities and various public and private sector institutions.

Will there be a reform of the university entrance exams system?

 We will not legislate any changes in lyceums for the next year. Interesting proposals regarding university entrance exams have been tabled in the national education dialogue, which we shall review without haste and without taking students and their families by surprise. Admissions exams will be linked to the structure of both lyceums and universities, but it will not happen right away.

In gymnasia, will there be changes in the grading system and the number of instruction hours? Have you definitively decided to reduce the number of instruction hours? Have you indeed decided to reduce the weekly hours of instruction in ancient Greek [currently three hours], and if so what would be the benefit?

We will introduce changes to better manage class time, to extend the length of the school year, and to reduce the number of exam days. A description-evaluation of students will be carried out on a pilot basis. The hourly programme burden in gymnasia will be reduced by three hours a week, which will be taken from ancient Greek, home economy, geography and biology. This is paedagogically correct, because it is in accord with the physical endurance of students, and it frees up hours for cultural, environmental, health, and career orientation programmes, as well as for supplemental tutoring in areas such as foreign languages, geared toward the new state foreign language aptitude certificates.

On issues where you differ with the Orthodox Church of Greece, what will you do with morning prayers and religious instruction [in Eastern Orthodox religion]? Will these be mandatory and when will changes be implemented?

 The issue of mandatory prayer has often been the subject of public debate in the past. We have not as yet decided. We will trust teachers’ associations, and we are certain they will find a modus vivendi with society and parents. We have made our decisions on religious instruction. Upon the recommendation of the Educational Policy Institute, religious instruction will not be a confessional, dogmatic [Greek Orthodox] catechism, but will give students the opportunity to learn about other religions as well. The new analytic programme of studies has been accepted by many theology teachers and church figures.

While in the opposition, SYRIZA objected to [military and student] parades, we still see them, indeed with great pageantry, and many would say nationalist and populist. Are you considering abolishing them?

We have not taken a final decision. What concerns us is to what degree a parade in military formation - with marchers turning their heads in unison to honour a minister, prefect, or bishop - contributes to the educational process, and to the formation of free and independent consciences. Might not events within schools or in public squares, with the message of national anniversaries, make a more substantial contribution?

Mr. Kammenos [leader of SYRIZA coalition partner Independent Greeks] would not appear to agree. Would you be prepared to clash with him over the issue?

Neither I nor any other minister has a private agenda. We have a government policy. It is initiated by the prime minister, discussed and shaped in the cabinet, and implemented by each competent minister. We have a good cooperation with Mr. Kammenos.

Minister, a chorus of media criticize you for introducing in schools a “pact of honour”, discouraging parents from calling their children “my princess” or my prince”.

 This is not a case of simple misunderstanding, but rather targeted attacks, which are so persistent that they end up being ridiculous. I remind you of the recent charges of a supposed abolition of consonants in the language. The polemics against me are related to the especially sensitive nature of the education ministry, as it de facto helps shape the ideological character of the government. It is no coincidence that the same criticism by organized political and economic interests, which oppose SYRIZA’s educational reforms, was unleashed against my predecessor, Aristedes Baltas.

You also came under severe fire over the case of bogus degrees [of hired civil servants]. Do you really intend to legitimize these cases?

 Degrees from private technical and vocational schools that were issued 10-15 years ago under Pasok and New Democracy governments, by specific rings with the backing and protection of the then two ruling parties, is what we are talking about. Legislation to deal with the issue passed in 2007, under then education minister [Marietta] Yannakou, allowed graduates of such schools to sit for new exams, since their cases had not been probed judicially, and hence it was impossible to implicate them in the unlawful acts of owners. Everyone also knew that illegal acts of that period were covered by the statute of limitations, so a judicial probe is impossible today, after so many years. All ministers of education and of the interior from both Pasok and ND governments, including [current main opposition leader Kyriakos] Mitsotakis, did nothing to address the issue after 2007. SYRIZA education ministers, on the contrary, conducted in-depth reviews, through regional educational directors of all private higher technical schools in the country, and identified those that fall under the purview of the 2007 law (3577). We will soon table in parliament a law that will extend the force of the 2007 law, abolishing the 2004-2008 limitation. This is upon the repeated recommendations of the body of Public Administration Auditors. Once passed, there will be a ministerial decision that will provide details of how the degree exams will be conducted.

A few days ago in Athens there was a protest by the [anti-government] “Resign” movement, which you at some point said is operating on the margins of constitutional legality. Is it not the right of every citizen to demonstrate and protest? Did it not happen in past years?

 The Left and the SYRIZA government need no lessons on defending fundamental rights because we are their most ardent defenders. For us, the right to demonstrate and protest is self-evident and inalienable. Others, who today purport to be guarantors of constitutional rights, previously were pleased when riot police beat and drowned in tear gas the protests of the Indignado movement. It was a Europe-wide movement that expressed truly and authentically the rage and desperation of society over the austerity policies of neo-liberalism. The right of political protest is self-evident and inalienable, as is the right to criticize the political orientation that each protest adopts. My criticism of the “Resign” movement was justified by the result [low turnout]. It was revealed that behind the allegedly non-partisan and apolitical citizens lurks the New Democracy political machine, some ridiculous characters from the centre, and various far-right flowers.

How do you answer those who call you the [former Pasok minister Theodoros] “Pangalos of Syriza”, meaning that you make inflammatory and untimely remarks?

 SYRIZA is not PASOK, nor am I Pangalos. The only similarity with Mr. Pangalos is that of [heavy] somatotype, which is entirely coincidental.