‘Leftist’ identity

The leftist-led government has obviously trained its sights on private education in this country. The reason is not just ideological, but also because SYRIZA believes that this is a fertile sector in which it can prove that it is guided by leftist principles in all its policy choices.

Of course the reason why it is so eager to prove its leftist identity is to counterbalance the economic policy it has pursued since July, when it signed Greece’s third bailout agreement with the country’s international creditors.

The Education Ministry’s decision to task a committee of teachers from the public education system with supervising final-year exams at private schools – a measure that was abolished in 2002 – confirms that the government’s real intention is to gradually turn private schools into public schools by undermining everything that makes them stand apart.