24-11-16 Education Ministry Response to press reports on EU Report

The Ministry of Education, Research, and Religious Affairs, in regard to media reports on the Monitoring Report of the European Commission on Education in Greece, wishes to clarify the following:

The European Commission’s Monitor Report, which is based on data from previous years, observes the downgrading of education, for which, however, the responsibilities are specific, and pertain to the first five years of the bailout memorandums. The current government managed to stem the downward spiral of the educational system, with a series of specific measures:

For the self-evaluation of school units

The issue of self-evaluation of schools is part of the three-year Education Ministry plan, which was agreed to with Greece’s lending institutions. The related legislative initiative will be taken pursuant to dialogue with the parties involved.

Regarding the Uniform Type Primary School

Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, 3,555 Primary Schools nationwide are operating with the Programme of the Uniform Type All-Day Primary School, instead of the 1,337 that operated as EAEP all-day schools until last year. At these 3,555 schools, the areas of knowledge were enriched with new subjects (computers, foreign language, arts, etc.).

Regarding the aging of educational personnel

The data on the aging of educational personnel are nothing more than those publicized by the ministry previously, after a full registry of educational personnel was completed.

It is precisely this fact that is the basic argument for the need to hire 20,000 tenured educators, an aim set forth by the ministry in its three-year programme. The lending institutions have agreed with this necessity for the first time.

Regarding Universities/Tertiary Institutions

With a series of legislative initiatives and Ministerial Decisions, the ministry offered tertiary educational institutions the ability to operate with greater flexibility, using the constitutional provision of the autonomy of institutions in today’s unfavourable economic situation.

In that framework:

1. The ministry offered the capability to transfer funds from the regular state funding of institutions to private law legal entities that operate under their auspices (companies that exploit and manage the property of Universities).

1. The opportunity was provided for regulatory administrative acts of the Senates (synklitos, or highest governing body) of universities to regulate issues that will be regulated by the Organisation and Charter of Institutions, once these are established and institutionalised.
2. It constituted the Senate (synklitos) as the competent organ to take decisions in cases where the Council is unable to take decisions or abstains from taking decisions under its competency.
3. It reformed the procedure for electing academic personnel at universities, by creating large electoral bodies (of 11 or 15 members, instead of the previous seven), and with transparent procedures for their constitution and operation.
4. It developed and established the institution of academic research grant holders.