Academics lash out at proposal for promoting uni assistants

The academic community on Friday lambasted a proposed amendment by Education Minister Nikos Filis that would essentially bypass open calls for university faculty positions.

According to the proposal – which was included in a package of reforms overhauling the educational system – university research and teaching assistants would be able to become lecturers and even professors without having to submit to the existing formal procedure, in which all such posts are advertised to attract as many qualified candidates as possible.

The proposed new procedure, the Council of Rectors said at a press conference yesterday, “creates doubt as to the quality of [candidate] assessment and would result in Greek universities becoming introverted, as it excludes worthy young scientists from the process.”