Educational policies in Greece

One of the most backward aspects of the current educational policies in Greece is the fact that they are 100% driven from the government with no practical account given to the university management (in fact micro-management would be a far more accurate term), to the industry or to chambers of commerce, industry, etc. Not to mention the public authorities themselves, which are well behind the maturity required to articulate any opinion or initiate any project as regards university level education.

This state- centric, soviet- style, approach allows no real decision making to anyone but the central government. Management positions in the academic establishments have no real appeal per se; only as stepping stones for a political career. Few serious people, with interfaces to science and/ or business would ever care to assume management positions in an environment where they would have to manage secretarial like tasks.

This situation is a result of a broader crisis, which reflects the many erroneous assumptions that prevail in the Greek society. Where else in the world any bandit can shut himself in an academic establishment, do whatever he wishes and be totally immune from the police? Where else in the world students, when their demand was refused, would take bricks and mortar and literally built their professors in their meeting room? Which other country in the world has numerous students in countries of absolutely no academic, if any at all, reputation?

These facts are presented just to be fair with the state. In such a crisis environment it is natural for the state to be conservative. To resist giving away authority or even consultation chances to professors, industry, institutions, social organizations, or whatever.

Lastly, all this should not sound laden with pessimism. There are parts of the society and the economy that are thriving. The maritime business in No. 1 globally, having No. 2 a very good deal behind it. Tourism is on the correct path. A healthy part of the industry fights its way successfully through in difficult markets. Even in education, if you take a walk in the corridors of any known University of the West you will hear Greek of fall on Greek names on the Professor’s door.

But there is an unhealthy state, a irrationally big state, which supervises the non-ambitious interests of a significant part of the society, those that lie on the defense lines and look forward to the protector state to take care of them.

There is hardly any other area more than education where this state failure, despite the many and real excuses it may draw upon, is so apparent.

People, by definition, as a whole, can not be responsible. People, as presented above, in some areas thrive. We have the state in order to, by definition, assign to it the responsibility of how things are managed.