One last “window” to complete the studies was left open to students who have exceeded the highest time margin of attendance at AEI, By introducing a latest opportunity mechanism, legislated last Friday, with the adoption of his bill Ministry of Education.
“OR State sends the political message that it recognizes and rewards consistent effort, invests in rescuing the educational capital already produced, but at the same time sets a clear, measurable limit: the extra time is a last chance to win the race, not to be repeated, “ Sofia Zacharakis.
Such as He noted, the new arrangement “ensures that those who have progressed their studies significantly have the opportunity to complete them” and described it as “realistic, reinforcing and pedagogically consistent”.
What does the new arrangement provide for ‘eternal ‘students
The new institutional framework for the highest period of study and the possibilities of completing studies at HEIs, as voted, predicts that students who have completed 70% of courses or credit units and have participated in exams at least twice in the last two years will have the right to completion within two additional semesters, which is completed the maximum period of time.
It is noted that the regulation does not affect active students, nor those within the legal time of study (4+2 or 5+3 years).
The ministry emphasizes that this is offered “one last but realistic, opportunity to turn their accumulated educational capital into a degree”.
The deletion excludes people with a disability of more than 50%, with exceptional exceeding higher education for serious health reasons.
In addition, the provision for partial attendance concerns parents of up to 8 years of age, employees (over 20 hours a week proven) and champions and athletes with an intensive program.
The shaking of the issue by the rectors
It is recalled that, although, as early as 2022, the highest duration of attendance has been instituted, however, during the last academic year, the end of which would also mean the application in August 2025 of the relevant law on the deletion of those students who have already exceeded the maximum of the same limit. Kyriakou Pierrakakis, seeking improvement arrangements for the exemptions of the law, but also to establish a “second chance” before the definitive deletion. The Rectors, who held an extraordinary meeting last Wednesday, welcomed their proposals to a certain extent in the final formation of the articles of the bill, but reiterated their unanimous decision to give the proposal to give the “universities”. percentage threshold, defined in the law.
The numbers
According to the latest report by the National Higher Education Authority (ETHAE), which concerns the academic year 2023-24 and published last June, all active students of HEIs were 352,099.
At the same time, the enrolled students were 703,857, which implies that non -active students during the same period amounted to 351,758.
It is worth noting that the above numerical data relates to 25 HEIs and the three Higher Military Schools (HEIs) of Greece.
According to the Ministry of Education, it is estimated that with the new arrangement proposed, about 290,000 inactive students will be deleted from the registers next September.
The legal framework
“Eternal”, “Old”, “stagnant”, or “inactive”, students who have not received a degree and have exceeded the higher education time limit have been concerned with the political leadership of the Ministry of Education for decades.
The highest duration of study was instituted by Law 4957/2022, also called “cherryand it was stipulated that the 4 -year Curriculum for the Curriculum was 6 years (N+2) and for the 5 -year programs 8 years (N+3). Following the completion of the maximum duration of study, the law stated that “the Board of Directors of the Department issues an act of deletion”.
From the above, the law provided for an exception for “serious health reasons for the student’s face or a first -degree relative of a blood or spouse or person with whom the student has entered into a cohabitation agreement”.
At the same time, the right to partial attendance, which entails a doubling of the actual time of study, was foreseen, as each semester is counted as half an academic semester.
In addition, students who wish it and have not exceeded the ceiling of attendance to discontinue their studies, from one half -to -six years for a maximum of 2 years.
It is worth noting that what relates to partial attendance and the discontinuation of attendance also applies to the new regulation of the new law.
By Giannakou Law the first attempt to delete ‘eternal’ students
However, the first attempt to delete “eternal” students has been done as early as 2007 (Law 3549/2007), under the ministry Marietas Giannakou. Article 14 of the law described that “the maximum duration of undergraduate studies may not exceed the minimum number of semesters required to obtain a degree, in accordance with the 3%of the Department’s curriculum.” It was also provided for “in exceptional cases” and by decision of the Senate for Universities and the Assembly for TEIs at the time, “after a fully justified recommendation of the Department’s General Assembly and a student or student request, extending the maximum period of two (2).”
In addition, the “Giannakou Law” gave students the right to discontinue their studies, with a written application, for those semester, continuous or not, wishing, and “no more than the minimum number of semesters needed to obtain a degree in accordance with the indicator”. These semesters were not counted in the maximum duration of attendance, while students or students who interrupted their studies lost their student status throughout the period of termination of their studies, at the end of which they returned to their department.
What did the Diamantopoulou Law envision
The next arrangement attempt was Law 4009/2011, so -called and “Diamantopoulou” The law set as a “period of normal study” the minimum number of semester’s degree for awarding the semester degree, according to the school’s indicative curriculum, increased by four semesters, (N+2). However, it was given the possibility of registering in the semesters as long as they met the terms of continuing the attendance specified in the organization of each institution. At the same time, the law provided for the automatic deletion of students as long as they were not registered for two consecutive semesters.
Furthermore, the “Diamantopoulou Law” was introduced for part -time prediction, for students who proven to work at least 20 hours a week. HEIs were the specific conditions and details of the process of facilitating the study of students with disabilities. The law remained the provision for a termination of attendance, except that students who were interrupted by health or force majeure proven to be lost, did not lose their student status.
Source: RES-EIA