Greece, over the past 15 years, has served as an experimental ground for the application of neoliberal policies, which have extended beyond the economy and financial sectors to affect all aspects of society. At the same time, Greece has maintained a unique position in Europe regarding higher education, with Article 16 of its constitution enshrining the state’s obligation to provide free higher education in public universities to all citizens. In other words, despite the existence of non-public colleges that have been operating in Greece for more than two decades, Greece was the only country in Europe that constitutionally prohibited the operation of private universities.

On March 8 of this year, the Greek Parliament, dominated by the conservative right, approved a law that allowed the creation of private universities, causing the reaction of most of the academic and student community. Large protests were organized in the main cities of the country, in almost all universities various faculties were occupied by students and public opinion was divided between those who supported the reform and considered it a step forward and those who opposed it considering it as the final step towards the commercialization of higher education.  The public debate surrounding the issue gave rise to discourses tied to the nation. Proponents framed the reform as a national success, suggesting that Greece would now join the ranks of developed countries by modernizing its educational framework

This STMS in the framework of Open Cost Action CA22121 gave me the opportunity to visit Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens  and to closely follow the political and social dynamics accompanying the public debate on the issue of higher education reform. I couldnt  find a more suitable social space than  Panteion University in Athens, which has a long progressive  tradition of fighting for the protection of public education. During this one-month period, I engaged in productive discussions with professors from the Department of Political Science and History, as well as with students and administrative staff. I also collected valuable data on the development of public discourse concerning the higher education reform.

I am convinced that this STMS will contribute to the goals of this COST Action and of course to those of WG1 where I am a member, bringing a regional perspective of developments in higher education as well as the of the link  between neoliberal reforms, higher education and nationalist discourse.