Gov’t pushes plans to merge universities despite objections
Education Minister Costas Gavroglou is pressing on with plans to merge technical colleges (TEIs) with universities despite protests by both teachers and students.
The move is seen as part of plans by the government to gain popularity in the runup to elections – which are scheduled for October but expected earlier – by appointing new academic staff to the expanded institutions.
There are objections, chiefly by staff at universities slated for mergers. Staff at the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki oppose plans to merge it with three TEIs.
he Hellenic Open University has collected 3,000 signatures against plans to merge it with Patra’s TEI after the city’s university rejected a merger.
