Editorial: The reform that was not

The law establishing changes in university and tertiary education more generally - installing a special police force on campuses and other provisions stirred tensions and reactions - was passed into law by the ruling majority which extolled it in Parliament.

We must now see the provisions of the law in practice and whether they will improve the operation of universities and restore the freedom to disseminate ideas which the lawmakers who passed the bill believe has been lost.

No one doubts that Greek universities are at times besieged by the activity of minorities, by extra-university groups, and by the admission of students without measure and appropriate evaluation.

The climate of no limits that prevailed for decades marred the image of Greek universities, slowed down their modernisation, and limited their capabilities.

The government's reform is neither sufficient nor able to change the flow of events.

That is clear from the one-sided nature of the provisions and from the character of the changes passed.

Structurally it did not change the operation of universities. It does not change their organisation in the long run.

It also does not endow tertiary education with funds and mechanisms that can support research and link it to production and the economy more generally.

Political conditions and social needs allowed for a radical reform that could boost tertiary education.

An independent observer feels that the changes promoted are more than anything else designed to serve the grouping of political forces and to highlight political and ideological differences between competing parties.

No one will say so publicly but the common conviction is that through these changes there is an effort to set up a new...