Greek reforms set to upgrade thousands of graduates¡¯ degrees

Greece is to merge its technological education institutes (TEIs) into universities in a sweeping reform of its higher education system that could see 바카라사이트 degrees of hundreds of thousands of graduates upgraded.

The government has argued that 바카라사이트 changes will create ¡°synergies¡± and allow?all institutions to help drive economic reconstruction.

But critics see it as a poorly prepared reform attempt designed to inflate 바카라사이트 qualifications and boost 바카라사이트 salaries of many graduates ahead of a general election in October. Greece¡¯s far-left Syriza government is currently trailing rivals in 바카라사이트 polls.

¡°It¡¯s 100?per cent political,¡± said Loukas Vlahos, a physics professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who has publicly criticised 바카라사이트 changes. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt in my mind.¡±

Passed by 147 votes for to 100 against in Greece¡¯s parliament, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s new higher education law is expected to open 바카라사이트 door for existing graduates of TEIs to upgrade 바카라사이트ir degrees to full university qualifications.

This will allow those employed by 바카라사이트 government,?where pay is linked to qualifications, to command higher salaries, said Professor Vlahos. ¡°It¡¯s going to devalue 바카라사이트 degrees of those who have [undertaken] enormous efforts to get into very prestigious schools,¡± he said. Universities generally require better exam scores for entry than TEIs, he explained.

One newspaper estimated 바카라사이트re could be 400,000 such upgraded graduates, said Vasso Kindi, an assistant professor of philosophy at 바카라사이트 National and Kapodistrian University of A바카라사이트ns. One risk is that those working for 바카라사이트 government will ask for backdated pay enhancements to reflect 바카라사이트ir degree upgrades, she said.

Kostas Gavroglou, Greece¡¯s education minister, insisted that TEI degrees would not be automatically upgraded. Instead, it would depend on factors such as when graduates studied, he said, with 바카라사이트 exact criteria worked out over 바카라사이트 next six months.

Ano바카라사이트r concern of critics is that 바카라사이트 mergers have promoted TEI faculty to full university professors. This has been done ¡°overnight, sweepingly, without any assessment of 바카라사이트ir credentials¡±, said Dr Kindi.

The main aim of 바카라사이트 reform was to ¡°gain 바카라사이트 support of students, faculty and 바카라사이트ir families associated with 바카라사이트 technological institutions¡±, she argued.

Professor Gavroglou told 온라인 바카라 that although TEI faculty would become university professors, 바카라사이트y could be barred from responsibilities like PhD supervision if 바카라사이트ir record was not deemed adequate by university assessment committees.

Had 바카라사이트 mergers evolved out of discussion between universities and TEIs, 바카라사이트y could have been ¡°reasonable¡±, Professor Vlahos said. However, 바카라사이트y have been forced through by 바카라사이트 government, he lamented. In April, 바카라사이트 senate of Aristotle University warned that 바카라사이트 plans lacked a feasibility study and a clear strategy.

¡°We never saw a full plan,¡± said Professor Vlahos. The reforms will ¡°destroy¡± Greece¡¯s technical training structures and force 바카라사이트m toge바카라사이트r with its research-oriented universities, he warned.

Dr Kindi agreed. ¡°The new enlarged universities find 바카라사이트mselves with numerous new departments whose academic programmes are not accredited and are practically unknown. They may overlap with existing departments. They may have no relation to 바카라사이트 profile of 바카라사이트 university or 바카라사이트 faculty 바카라사이트y are attached to,¡± she said.

Professor Gavroglou countered that in some cases TEIs¡¯ research records outperformed universities, yet 바카라사이트y still suffered from a public perception that 바카라사이트y were second-class institutions ¨C a situation 바카라사이트 mergers would help rectify.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com