Almost Ten Percent of Greek Students Desert the Country’s University System
Useful summary of the situation so far in Greece, at the Chronicle of Higher Education. Some excerpts:
The violence on Thursday followed weeks of unrest that have hampered operations at universities across Greece. In what has been called the most significant student protests in the country since the 1970s, when universities were a focal point of opposition against the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1967 to 1974, students have been mobilizing against education reforms proposed by the government.
…The proposals would allow the establishment of private universities in Greece, which the prime minister, Kostas Karamanlis, has said would help the economy by encouraging more students to remain in the country.
According to a recent Unesco report, Greece has one of the highest rates of student mobility in Europe, with 9 percent of students going abroad to pursue higher education.
The proposed changes would also strengthen oversight of universities, requiring them to be more financially accountable.
…By some estimates, failure rates in some subjects are as high as 80 percent, and students are currently able to retake exams as many times as they wish. The government proposals would limit the number of times students can retake exams in a subject and would also limit the number of years they are able to pursue their degrees.
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