The start of the new era in higher education with the Approval of the Operation of Six Non -State Universities For the academic year 2025-2026, it has sparked a strong political confrontation between government and PASOK.
PASOK’s criticism of “Sorbonne”
PASOK Education Officer, Stefanos Parastatidishe spoke of “palaces in the sand”, commenting on the non -licensing of the French University Paris 13 – Sorbonne Paris Nord. According to him, this is rejecting the basic argument of former Minister of Education, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, on the establishment of non -profit universities of internationally renowned. Mr Parastatidis argues that the law simply transformed existing colleges into universities. At the same time, he called on the government to answer whether the “Sorbonne” would eventually come to Greece.
Government’s response
The government’s response was immediate. The government spokesman, Paul MarinakisHe described PASOK’s announcements as “inexplicable and hasty”, accusing the party of making statements based on publications, without waiting for official decisions. He even stressed that PASOK was denied in a series of points:
- Unconstitutionality: The CoE denied PASOK’s forecasts.
- Universities: The 13 applications from foreign universities have denied, with four at the highest rankings.
- Qualitative criteria: ETHAE evaluated applications with the most stringent criteria in Europe. The fact that some applications have not yet been approved, due to building or operational issues, proves the rigor of the audits.
Government sources They added that PASOK decided to overthrow its position and accept that ETHAE is an independent authority, which initially questioned. The same sources have spoken of a “strange” attitude of Nikos Androulakis, who attacks some universities and not. They concluded by saying that PASOK’s opposition is turning against young children and their families, wanting Greece to remain a “sad exception with Cuba”.