Shock therapy and side effects

Let’s assume that the circumvention of Article 16 of the Constitution (which stipulates that all universities are state-run) and the establishment of private universities by means of transnational agreements, has a double reading. 

On the one hand, there are those who welcome the government’s intention with relief. They have been waiting for years for Greek higher education to emulate what is happening in so many other countries around the world: the welcoming of foreign university institutions, “putting aside the existing shadow education of private colleges, attracting the elite of academic excellence,” as constitutional law professor Giorgos Dellis told Kathimerini in a recent article. The plan, of course, will be judged in its practical application, as noted by supporters of the change, who do not uncritically agree with the ministerial announcements. On the other hand, there is the constant and repeated opinion of the critics: “New Democracy’s proposal is not progressive – it’s reactionary. Not only does it not enhance the competitiveness of state-run universities, but it devalues them.”

The revision of Article 16 has been debated for years. Is it the academic establishment that feels that its position and privileges are being threatened? Is it the unchecked power of university professors that grows when accountability and evaluations are missing? It it the fear that good students will choose a foreign university and not a Greek one, leading to the latter’s decline?

Everyone realizes, however, whether they admit it or are just thinking about it, that universities need shock therapy. A condition that will oblige them to revise perceptions that have festered and unleash their creative powers, multiplying the many pockets of excellence that undoubtedly exist, as well as review procedures (such as the election of rectors) that are plagued by backroom deals.

Will the establishment of foreign higher institutions in Greece serve as shock therapy? The courage to push forward with reforms is not enough. It is necessary to ensure criteria and conditions that these universities will have to meet. It is one thing to foster healthy competition and quite another to have no rules. But if we stick to fear and suspicion, we will only end up with inaction. Changes always have their risks.