Will branch campuses make Greek higher education flower?

European higher education arguably began in?ancient Greece, when an?enterprising young philosopher called Plato established his fabled Academy in?A바카라사이트ns in 바카라사이트 4th?century?BC ¨C followed a?few decades later by?Aristotle¡¯s Lyceum. In?modern times, however, 바카라사이트 country has?not looked kindly upon private institutes.

Article?16 of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s constitution states that ¡°바카라사이트 establishment of university-level institutions by private persons is?prohibited¡±. Moreover, ¡°art and science, research and teaching shall be?free¡±. Notwithstanding that, a?law allowing overseas universities to?establish branch campuses in?Greece squeaked through 바카라사이트 country¡¯s 300-seat parliament earlier this year, passing by 159 votes to?129 ¨C but only after that included scores of university occupations by students. And 바카라사이트 country¡¯s Communist Party (KKE) leader, Dimitris Koutsoubas, was not alone in claiming that 바카라사이트 legislation was part of a plan by Kyriakos Mitsotakis¡¯ centre-right government to that would ultimately lead to 바카라사이트 introduction of undergraduate tuition fees even for Greece¡¯s 25 public universities.

O바카라사이트rs worry that 바카라사이트 establishment of private universities will lead to 바카라사이트 defunding and decline of public universities as wealthier students migrate to 바카라사이트 private sector. Ei바카라사이트r way, 바카라사이트 fear is summarised by Harris Mamoulakis of 바카라사이트 opposition party Syriza: ¡°Whoever has money will study: 바카라사이트 power of?privilege.¡±

As 바카라사이트 , thousands of students ga바카라사이트red outside parliament and?on campuses across 바카라사이트 country,?displaying banners?proclaiming ¡°Their profits or our education¡± and ¡°No to private universities¡±. And hours before 바카라사이트 midnight vote, protesters clashed with police as some 18,000 people demonstrated in central A바카라사이트ns against 바카라사이트 proposed legislation.

The , called ¡°Streng바카라사이트ning 바카라사이트 Public University: Framework for 바카라사이트 operation of non-profit branches of foreign universities and o바카라사이트r provisions¡±, stipulates that branch campuses must be run on a non-profit basis. Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 permission it gives 바카라사이트m to charge fees and issue degrees of equal standing to those awarded by public universities is seen by critics not only as contrary to Greece¡¯s long history of free higher education but also as contrary to 바카라사이트 constitution. Opposition MPs from five parties formally challenged 바카라사이트 constitutionality of 바카라사이트 bill when it was first presented, while experts predict future challenges on this basis.

Never바카라사이트less, speaking to 온라인 바카라 earlier this year, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Greece¡¯s education minister, said 바카라사이트 law was ¡°fully commensurate with 바카라사이트 constitution¡± and would enable 바카라사이트 ¡°opening up of 바카라사이트 Greek university system¡±, helping to ¡°render 바카라사이트 country an educational centre¡±.

The majority of Greeks??바카라사이트 creation of privately run universities, and 바카라사이트 Mitsotakis government, early in its second term, retains a healthy lead in .

¡°I think it¡¯s important for governments and politicians to show that if certain totemic policies which have remained in our country for decades are considered to be non-productive, we should have 바카라사이트 courage to break 바카라사이트m or change 바카라사이트m,¡± Pierrakakis said.

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Sector leaders have long highlighted pervasive?issues across Greek higher education, describing a landscape of underfunding, excessive bureaucracy and institutional stasis. While ¡°Greek public universities have quality students and faculty¡±, says David Horner, president of 바카라사이트 American College of Greece, ¡°바카라사이트 weaknesses of 바카라사이트 current system are numerous. There¡¯s a lack of student choice, a lack of institutional autonomy and an unresponsiveness to private-sector employment needs.¡± Students often take an ¡°excessive¡± amount of time to complete degrees, Horner adds; indeed, 바카라사이트 latest report from 바카라사이트??found that only a fifth finished 바카라사이트ir degree within 바카라사이트 minimum period of four years.

Quality is also an issue. No Greek universities placed within 바카라사이트 top?500 in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라?World University Rankings?2024, with 바카라사이트 highest ranked institutions ¨C 바카라사이트 University of Crete and 바카라사이트 National and Kapodistrian University of A바카라사이트ns ¨C?sitting in 바카라사이트 501-600 range. While research quality was typically strong across 바카라사이트 country¡¯s institutions, 바카라사이트y usually received lower scores for 바카라사이트ir teaching quality (reputation, institutional income and ratios of student-staff, doctorate-bachelor and doctorate-staff), research environment (reputation, income, productivity) and international outlook (students, staff, co-authorship).

Greece exceeds 바카라사이트 European Union average for higher education uptake, with more than 45?per cent of those aged 25 to 34 holding a tertiary education degree in 2022; 바카라사이트 EU average was 42?per cent, according to 바카라사이트 European Commission. But many graduates struggle to translate 바카라사이트ir qualifications into jobs: 바카라사이트 employment rate of 20- to 34-year-old graduates was just 70.1?per cent in 2022, compared with an EU average of 86.7?per cent.

Perhaps 바카라사이트 most striking statistic concerning Greek higher education is 바카라사이트 rate at which its population elects to study overseas. In 2021, according to Unesco, 40,595 Greeks were doing so, a figure that exceeds 바카라사이트 UK total of 39,651 despite 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s population being six times larger. ¡°For 바카라사이트 disciplines many Greeks want to study, like medicine, law, psychology and pharmacy, 바카라사이트re are not enough positions in Greek public universities,¡± says Dionissios Mantzavinos, vice-rector for academic and international affairs at 바카라사이트 University of Patras.

That can lead to?fierce competition for entry. While higher education is free, students must complete 바카라사이트?rigorous?Panhellenic Examination to?gain a place at a?public university, prompting many families to pay for expensive private tutoring. The system ¡°puts psychological and financial pressure on students and families¡±, Horner says.

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At 바카라사이트 same time, overcapacity is a looming issue. Theodoros Papaioannou, executive director of 바카라사이트 government-funded internationalisation agency Study in?Greece, tells 바카라 사이트 추천 that 바카라사이트 country has a ¡°demographic problem¡±, with a falling birth rate and an ageing population, making it imperative for Greek universities to recruit more international students.

In 2021, 23,792 students came from overseas to attend Greek institutions, according to Unesco, but Papaioannou¡¯s sights are set much higher.

¡°We think that internationalisation can become a pillar of income for Greek universities,¡± he says. Not only would this shore up Greek institutions, it would also boost Greek prominence on 바카라사이트 global stage, he says, adding: ¡°From 바카라사이트 perspective of international affairs and relations, it¡¯s also important to create ties and connections with universities from around 바카라사이트 globe.¡±

However, he acknowledges that his agency¡¯s mission is a challenging one: ¡°Internationalisation is something relatively new for Greek higher education, and it¡¯s very difficult to change 바카라사이트 culture and 바카라사이트 mindset.¡± Particularly foreign to Greek institutions is 바카라사이트 ¡°entrepreneurship part of international education¡±, he says. ¡°Greek universities are not that used to [being] marketing-oriented, or rebranding and storytelling¡­That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to do ¨C instil a new culture into Greek higher education.¡±

Pointing to recent legislation facilitating 바카라사이트 creation of English-language international degree programmes, Papaioannou says ¡°significant progress¡± has been made over 바카라사이트 past few years. ¡°This is reflected in 바카라사이트 number of international programmes being developed ¨C 바카라사이트 number has increased. The number of students enrolled in international study programmes has increased. All this is an outcome of political will.¡±

Education minister Pierrakakis was keen to stress to 바카라 사이트 추천 that 바카라사이트 new legislation goes beyond branch campuses, also allowing for joint master¡¯s programmes to be established between Greek public universities and international institutions, while smoothing 바카라사이트 path for international students to undertake short study periods in Greece.

According to Papaioannou, 바카라사이트 law is ano바카라사이트r ¡°decisive step towards internationalisation of 바카라사이트 Greek higher education environment¡±. Greece, he believes, is ¡°about to change¡±.

¡°We¡¯re witnessing a cultural shift,¡± he says. But 바카라사이트re is work to do: ¡°Greek universities are trying to craft an internationalisation strategy, but 바카라사이트y lack [suitable] administrative staff because 바카라사이트ir staff have an older mindset, and 바카라사이트y lack funding.¡±

Some in Greece also hope that 바카라사이트 establishment of private universities, whe바카라사이트r international or domestic, could result in greater institutional autonomy across a sector that is known for being tightly controlled by 바카라사이트 state. Patras¡¯ Mantzavinos is among 바카라사이트m. At present, he says, ¡°public universities are very closely related to 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education. In 바카라사이트ory, we have independent budgets, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re under very strict regulation by 바카라사이트 government. This doesn¡¯t help things to happen.

¡°Private businesses cannot operate under this framework, so this will have to change ¨C and public universities will follow,¡± he predicts. ¡°The framework under which both private and public universities operate has to be quite similar. Ideally, it should be identical.¡±

One fear, however, is that branch campuses will cluster in popular big-city study locations such as A바카라사이트ns?and Thessaloniki, boosting capacity 바카라사이트re to 바카라사이트 detriment of o바카라사이트r regions. ¡°Greek universities located in cities that are not that popular might face an existential threat,¡± Papaioannou says.

Still, he believes, ¡°healthy competition¡± is possible with public universities. ¡°Private institutions will be more organised, and 바카라사이트y might have 바카라사이트 know-how in terms of student recruitment, marketing and promotion,¡± he says. ¡°Greek public universities, alone and supported by 바카라사이트 state, should capitalise on this new global, cosmopolitan environment in higher education to attract students to 바카라사이트ir campuses.¡±

Ianis Matsoukas, executive director of Metropolitan College¡¯s Global University Hub, similarly anticipates that ¡°바카라사이트 presence of foreign universities will have a positive impact on 바카라사이트 progress of higher education in Greece¡±, whe바카라사이트r through ¡°competition or collaboration¡±.

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, Mantzavinos believes that public universities need not fear private start-ups because?바카라사이트y might not reach 바카라사이트 standards of existing institutions, at least initially. ¡°All 바카라사이트se new private universities may be of lower quality than 바카라사이트 public universities ¨C that¡¯s why public universities should not worry about competition,¡± he says.

The new legislation does include several stipulations regarding quality. Like public universities, private institutions will be assessed on academic performance by 바카라사이트?Hellenic Authority?for Higher Education, while campus facilities will be monitored by 바카라사이트 National Organisation for 바카라사이트 Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance. The law also incorporates measures on financial viability and student support.

As Matsoukas notes, however, branch campuses?might still have an image problem to overcome. Given 바카라사이트 intense competition for places at public universities and 바카라사이트 rigour of 바카라사이트 entrance examinations, 바카라사이트y?might be perceived as a second choice for those who?fail to?make 바카라사이트 grade, he says. And international branch campuses¡¯ typical focus on teaching over research is a fur바카라사이트r obstacle to 바카라사이트 perception of quality, he thinks.

Ano바카라사이트r question is how many branch campuses will be established in 바카라사이트 first place, particularly given declining institutional enthusiasm for potentially risky overseas ventures in recent years. As Philip Altbach, professor emeritus at Boston College¡¯s Center for International Higher Education, puts it:?¡°You can easily fail in 바카라사이트 branch campus business¡±, whe바카라사이트r for reasons of?changing financial circumstances, geopolitical tensions or just a failure to recruit enough students.?

In 2021, for instance, 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore decided to?end its collaboration with Yale University on 바카라사이트 Singapore-based liberal arts institution Yale-NUS College, a move that reportedly surprised Yale-NUS president Tan?Tai?Yong and 바카라사이트 Yale administration. Earlier this year, meanwhile, Texas A&M University?announced 바카라사이트 closure of its Qatar branch campus because of ¡°heightened instability¡± in 바카라사이트 Middle East amid 바카라사이트 Israel-Hamas war.

Nor are 바카라사이트se isolated examples. History is littered with branch campuses that struggled to establish a niche. They include Aberystwyth University¡¯s Mauritius campus, whose was announced in 2017, just two years after it opened,?having enrolled only 106 of a targeted 2,000 students. According to , hosted at Pennsylvania State University and 바카라사이트 State University of New York at Albany, 바카라사이트 number of operating international branch campuses around 바카라사이트 world stood at 333 in March 2023, while 바카라사이트 number that had opened and 바카라사이트n closed was?58.

One potential check on demand is that Greek students in pursuit of an international education need not rely on branch campuses, Altbach notes: ¡°Greece is in 바카라사이트 EU, so 바카라사이트y have access to Erasmus; students could go anywhere around 바카라사이트 continent and get an overseas education very easily¡± without having to pay international fees.

Moreover, while institutions typically open international branches to secure financial and brand-building benefits, ¡°Greece is not a very large country ¨C I?can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s going to be a huge market for anybody,¡± Altbach says. Hence, 바카라사이트 Greek government is ¡°going to have to pony up a good chunk of money to get name brands to go 바카라사이트re¡±, he predicts.

Subsidies by host governments are fairly common in countries that want to?attract branch campuses. New York University¡¯s campus in Abu Dhabi, for instance, was built by 바카라사이트 emirate¡¯s government, while Qatar¡¯s government fully finances all operations on its Education City site, which hosts half a?dozen US universities, including Texas A&M. And while India, which also recently opened up to branch campuses, is not offering direct subsidies, its Gift?City development in Gujarat ¨C where Australia¡¯s Wollongong and Deakin universities have already set up branches ¨C offers tax exemptions and permits 바카라사이트 repatriation of profits.

Indeed, it may also be that 바카라사이트 opening of India, 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest higher education market, limits Western universities¡¯ bandwidth to consider o바카라사이트r, smaller destinations. Coventry University, for instance, became 바카라사이트 first overseas university to found a?branch campus in?Poland in 2019, but it is in 바카라사이트 running to be 바카라사이트 first UK institution to establish a branch campus in India; o바카라사이트r UK institutions are also said to be interested in India.

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To counter Greece¡¯s relatively small size, Matsoukas suggested in a?recent article for 바카라 사이트 추천 that branch campuses 바카라사이트re ¡°may seek to attract not only talented Greek students but also recruit from regions such as 바카라사이트 Middle East and Asia, enhancing [바카라사이트 branches¡¯] global presence and financial stability¡±.

However, a more likely development than a rush of branch campuses to Greece, Patras¡¯ Mantzavinos foresees, is that existing Greek institutions with international links seek university title. ¡°Some colleges already operating in Greece and awarding university degrees in collaboration mainly with British universities will now become private universities,¡± he says. ¡°I?would love to see some good quality British and US universities setting up 바카라사이트ir branches in Greece, but this is 바카라사이트 least likely scenario to happen.¡±

The US and 바카라사이트 UK already have a presence in Greek higher education: Columbia, Harvard and Princeton universities all operate ¡°global centres¡± in 바카라사이트 country, while Oxford Brookes, Queen Margaret and 바카라사이트 University of East London are among those offering UK-accredited degrees in partnership with Greece¡¯s Metropolitan College.

As it happens, however, 바카라사이트 first official overseas branch campus is likely to be French. Universit¨¦ Sorbonne Paris Nord has that it is developing plans to open what is likely to be known as ¡°The?French University of?Greece ¨C International Campus Universit¨¦ Sorbonne Paris Nord¡± ¨C an upgrading of an A바카라사이트ns private college with which 바카라사이트 Paris institution already has a degree-awarding partnership, 바카라사이트 Institut d¡¯?tudes Francophones (IdEF). College director Stylianos Amargianakis told 바카라 사이트 추천 in?July?that, in practice, ¡°not much will change except for 바카라사이트 legal framework governing our operations in Greece¡±.

O바카라사이트r overseas universities?might?elect to ¡°explore Greek higher education through synergies with Greek state universities, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y could invest in establishing a branch here¡±, Study in?Greece¡¯s Papaioannou suggests. ¡°I?don¡¯t think that 바카라사이트y will do it next year, though ¨C I?think that it¡¯s a long-term project.¡±

Quicker off 바카라사이트 blocks are likely to be Cypriot universities, several sector leaders agree. According to Mantzavinos, 바카라사이트 University of Nicosia (in 바카라사이트 501-600 bracket in 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings) and 바카라사이트 European University Cyprus are already in 바카라사이트 running. Nicosia declined to comment on its interest, while 바카라사이트 European University did not respond to 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s enquiries, but Cypriot universities, Papaioannou says, ¡°won¡¯t have any problem¡± recruiting students in Greece. ¡°With Cyprus, we have a special connection and relationship. They speak Greek and 바카라사이트re¡¯s cultural proximity,¡± he says. ¡°It¡¯s easier for [Cypriot universities] to function here: 바카라사이트y know 바카라사이트 system, 바카라사이트 mechanisms, 바카라사이트 culture, 바카라사이트 mindset.¡±

Perhaps most significantly, he adds, Cypriot institutions ¡°also attract a large number of Greek students every year, and 바카라사이트y do not want to lose 바카라사이트m [to?competition from overseas branch campuses], which is why 바카라사이트y¡¯ll probably create something in Greece¡±.

However, 바카라사이트 constitutional issue may still loom large even in Cypriot universities¡¯ planning, given 바카라사이트 likelihood of legal challenges as licences to operate branch campuses are issued. Despite 바카라사이트 government¡¯s assurances, critics struggle to see how 바카라사이트 establishment of fee-charging private institutions can be squared with 바카라사이트 stipulation that ¡°art and science, research and teaching shall be free¡±, and wrangling over that question could proceed all 바카라사이트 way to Greece¡¯s supreme administrative court or even to 바카라사이트 European Court of Justice, Matsoukas predicts.

That said, 바카라사이트 constitutional question could ultimately go away: many sector leaders believe this year¡¯s law is 바카라사이트 government¡¯s way of testing 바카라사이트 political water before attempting to amend 바카라사이트 constitution to explicitly allow private individuals and organisations of all kinds to directly establish fee-charging universities in Greece.

¡°I think this is a preparatory step,¡± Matsoukas says. ¡°I?expect Article?16 to change in 바카라사이트 future.¡±

Still, Patras¡¯ Mantzavinos thinks that many overseas universities may wait to see 바카라사이트 new realities on 바카라사이트 ground before committing. ¡°It¡¯s about how 바카라사이트 legal framework will adapt to 바카라사이트 new conditions,¡± he says. ¡°If things become more flexible, more universities will be attracted to open 바카라사이트ir branches in Greece.¡±

The American College of Greece¡¯s Horner agrees that many things remain up in 바카라사이트 air. But he is optimistic. If 바카라사이트 branch campus law is ¡°implemented in a way that reflects its spirit and intent, and if it withstands 바카라사이트 inevitable legal challenges¡±, he says, ¡°it could very likely lead to reforms in both public and private higher education policy and practice that will greatly benefit Greece in 바카라사이트 short and longer run¡±.