Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday defended a bill allowing, under certain conditions, the establishment of branches of foreign universities in Greece for the first time, saying that reforms would have a positive knock-on effect on their public counterparts. Lawmakers are set to vote on the bill later in the day.

“Finally, non-state, non-profit institutions will operate in our country,” Mitsotakis said, highlighting that students will now have more options to pursue higher education within Greece.

“More than 40,000 Greeks study abroad. We aim to enable young people to attend reputable international universities without needing to leave their homeland,” he said.

The conservative premier stressed that the primary objective is to modernize state universities, noting that 85 percent of the bill’s provisions relate to public institutions. He added that the bill anticipates funding reaching 1.5 billion euros by 2027, in addition to the annual allocation exceeding 1 billion euros.

“Greek universities will have the capacity to welcome foreign students, who will also be liable for tuition fees,” he said. “Greece can assert itself on the educational stage,” he added.

“It’s clear that we’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re introducing in our country what is still applicable even in North Korea. We stand as one of the few countries, along with Cuba, maintaining stringent state control in the education sector,” he said.

Mitsotakis was speaking as a large demonstration unfolded in Athens against the bill, with the participation of nearly 200 student groups from universities across the country.

The bill is set to be approved as the New Democracy government controls 158 lawmakers in the 300-seat House.

SOURCE: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1233606/mitsotakis-defends-university-bill-amid-student-protests/