Seeking transparency in academic appointments

Seeking to introduce more transparency to the appointment of university professors, the Education Ministry is pondering a new oversight body.

Foundation Councils consisting of non-faculty will be installed at every university to oversee the election of new professors, “as safeguards to protect meritocracy,” says Vassilis Digalakis, chairman of Parliament’s Education Committee and a former deputy minister.

The initiative comes in response to complaints over opaque procedures designed to get cronies or family members through the door.

An Education Ministry source told Kathimerini that the phenomenon appears to be more acute in high-demand faculties, such as Athens Medical School, where an estimated 30% of the permanent faculty of 550 are related in one way or another.

“Of course, this does not mean that their appointment was not merited,” the source added.