Thousands of Greek students protest against education reform

Thousands of students protested in Athens hours before parliament approved the controversial law on private universities, which they say will create two levels of education in favor of the rich.
The new law will make degrees from approved private institutions equivalent to those from public universities, while foreign universities will be allowed to open branches in Greece using non-profit status, despite charging tuition fees.
Students say the law would favor wealthy students by allowing them to enter lower-ranked private universities while receiving a degree that is equivalent to one from a public university.
According to police, around 13,000 people marched towards the parliament in Athens' central Syntagma Square, chanting slogans and waving anti-reform banners.
"No to education for the few and chosen, free education for all," chanted many.
Several of the protesters wore masks bearing the face of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Demonstrator Iraklis Marinopoulos, 19, said the reform would "undermine" state university degrees and threaten regional universities that support smaller Greek cities.
"Wealthier students will be able to enroll with lower grades," he told AFP, claiming the bill was unconstitutional.
"They'll just pay and get a degree," Marinopoulos added.
Students have been protesting for nine weeks against the reform, which the government says will allow Greek public universities to enter into partnerships with prestigious foreign academic institutions, improving their international appeal.
About 15,000 students staged a protest in Athens last month.
The government has promised to introduce strict rules for the functioning of private educational institutions.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis told parliament that the reform would allow Greek students "to study at international universities without leaving home."
He called it "a step that opens new horizons for the new generation" and adds "Greece to the global educational map".
"We are establishing something that exists even in North Korea. Unfortunately, we are probably the last, along with Cuba, to have a firm state monopoly on higher education," stressed the Greek Prime Minister.
Ahead of tonight's vote, which is expected to be approved by the ruling majority, opposition parties have accused the government of chronically underfunding public universities.
Many university professors also oppose private institutions, which students claim will offer lower entry requirements in exchange for hefty fees.
20-year-old engineering student Athena said private institutions would eat up the scarce funds for public universities.
The parliamentary speaker of the main opposition Syriza party, Sokratis Famelos, pointed out that Greece spent only 7.1 percent of its budget on education, while the European Union average was 9.6 percent.
And while in Europe the average is one teacher per 13 students, in Greece the average is 1 in 47, he said.
"You are doing this so that some of your friends, some foundations and colleges can make a profit," Famelos explained to parliament.
State Greek universities are plagued by dilapidated infrastructure, political party interference in student affairs, and occasional violence and vandalism.
Successive efforts by previous Conservative governments to reform higher education have failed in the face of student protests, many marred by violence. /BGNES