Universities benefit from Greek elections?

The European Union is watching the political developments in Greece with suspicion. According to University World News, however, there is one group who might benefit from the rise of the radical left Syriza party: the universities.

The previous Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, has carried out drastic cuts in higher eduction. The grants the institutions receive from the government have decreased by 60 percent in the last five years. This has a significant influence on the staff and the students. The two main universities in Greece, the University of Athens and the Technological University (also in Athens), had to fire more than 450 people in administrative staff. They even had to hire volunteers to do parts of the work.

Almost half of the students had to re-apply for a spot at a university. On top of that, the former education secretary, Anna Diamantopoulou has imposed a management structure on the universities, in which a ‘management council’ stands alongside the intellectual leaders of the university. In practice, the two groups clash a lot, which creates chaos. A new government could change the policy on higher education, according to the writers of the University World News-article.