According to an informal briefing, the president of PASOK-Movement for Change noted that “the perennial programmatic position of our party is the establishment of non-state non-profit universities with a revision of Article 16”. In fact, Nikos Androulakis asked for a text of commitment from all to be drawn up, to change the disputed article during the revision of the Constitution for the establishment of non-state, non-profit universities.
Explaining what PASOK wants, Mr. Androulakis mentioned how the pursuit is:
strong public university
strong non-state non-profit universities,
and strong regulation of postsecondary education.
Nikos Androulakis harshly criticized Kyriakos Mitsotakis, saying among other things that the lack of a counter proposal helps him. “It is not possible that some people have been buying and investing for two years, and a bill comes cut and sewn on their investments. This is not an arrangement,” said the president of PASOK-KINAL.
“However, we have a complete proposal, both for the correct framework for the operation of non-state non-profit universities, as well as for the strengthening of the public university”, he added and emphasized: “With the bill, it is possible for a fund and a for-profit university to abroad, to establish an essentially profit-making branch in our country. Greece was a European exception and Mr. Mitsotakis makes us an exception once more, as the establishment of for-profit foreign branches will be allowed, but not Greek non-profit universities.”
Tension prevailed at the Parliamentary Group meeting, with Odysseus Konstantinopoulos and Nadia Giannakopoulou strongly criticizing Nikos Androulakis due to his decision to vote once morest the relevant bill.
The vice-president of the Parliament and Member of Parliament for Arkadia Odysseas Konstantinopoulos is reported to have argued that in three bills PASOK did what the ND wanted. “To the emigrants, where it appeared that we do not want to vote in favor, as he brought an amendment to react, to the homosexuals, for which we voted, as the N.D. he wanted to share the cost with everyone, and he succeeded, and now in the third bill, where our position is the most difficult to explain. We might not convince the people to understand our position”, said Mr. Konstantinopoulos, speaking regarding all three bills, while he had started by asking Mr. Androulakis to discuss the party’s strategy, in order to get his answer. president that this discussion will take place in the Political Council and not in the Parliamentary Group.
“In such a bill, you make big political moves: You go to the President of the Republic and say your positions, so they can be heard. You call Pierrakakis and state your observations/objections. These did not happen and to this day I am afraid that no one has understood our position, and this puts us in a difficult position”, Mr. Konstantinopoulos is reported to have said to Mr. Androulakis, while expressing complaints that despite the order given by his president PASOK to Mr. Parastatides to form a committee that would examine the issue, “Stefanos never called us”.
Mr. Konstantinopoulos is also reported to have recalled the attitude of George Papandreou in 2006, noting that then he voted in favor of the repeal of Article 16, even noting that “then Evangelos Venizelos was negative, today Mr. Venizelos is positive”.
“You can’t cut corners on the words of the former prime minister, Papandreou has a firm opinion on the revision of Article 16. These opinions can be used by our opponents,” Mr. Androulakis allegedly replied to him at the time, with Mr. Constantinopoulos to come back: “Before you became president, when you spoke your opinion to the Political Council and the media played it up, did you have to be blamed?” Is that what you’re saying?’ “No, right,” Androulakis reportedly replied, only to get a second answer from K. Konstantinopoulos, who reportedly said: “So, I will speak whenever I deem it necessary.”
“We have not discussed the bill, we are not employees to carry out the orders of 2-3 people”, Mrs. Giannakopoulou is reported to have said in her intervention and added: “I have specific opinions, which do not change. I want you to tell me if there will be a question of party discipline so that I know what to do.”
The head of PASOK’s Education sector, Stefanos Parastatidis, in a statement he issued expressed his 7+1 disagreements regarding the bill for non-state universities.
Specifically:
+1. Regarding the unconstitutionality of the bill, he states that PASOK-KINAL’s position is “constitutionally controversial, something that creates an environment of legal uncertainty”. “It is not only the fact that there is a dichotomy between constitutionalists and European law experts, but there is also a well-established jurisprudence of the CoE, which has never questioned the agreement of Article 16 with EU Law. In such a critical matter we should proceed with absolutely solid steps. Because in the end the agreement of the law with the Constitution will be judged by supreme judges (STE) and it would be criminally frivolous to put new children, families and those who decide to get involved in an adventure. Our position is that the express prohibition that was included in the Constitution should also be removed from the Constitution. Not by the government, as mediator of the Constitution.”
1. Regarding the non-profit nature of the universities under establishment as defined by the bill, the responsible member of PASOK-KINAL notes that “a fundamental and non-negotiable principle is the clear and unequivocal distinction between commercial-business profit and Higher Education. Only this approach can guarantee academic validity and freedom.” On the contrary, he adds, the government’s proposal is content with the grammatical formulation of the non-profit character without introducing any regulation to prevent the falsification of this character.
2. Regarding licensing, PASOK-KINAL’s position is that it must be linked to the corresponding level of evaluation and international ranking of schools/departments of public institutions, while there is no relevant provision in the bill.
3. Regarding the strengthening of the public university, Mr. Parastatidis states that for PASOK it means an increase in funding, improvement of critical quality indicators, strategic planning, a serious academic map, securing real self-government and balanced support of the regional university institutions in our country.
4. Regarding the system of admission to higher institutions, regardless of their nature, public or non-state, it must be common and uniform.
5. Regarding the geographical distribution, PASOK considers that the non-profit universities should be included in the wider academic map with geographical, financial and scientific field distribution criteria.
6. PASOK-KINAL’s position for non-profit universities to operate in Greece is to provide a specific guarantee clause for the long-term implementation of a comprehensive educational plan, to ensure that they do not abandon the plan to provide quality educational services and suddenly leave students the meteors.
7. Regarding the safeguarding of academic freedom and working conditions, PASOK’s position is that the protection of the rights of university students and the assurance that their working conditions will be in line with the guarantees of independence and academic freedom that apply to the public university.
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