Academics are divided over the likely impact of the introduction of private universities in Greece, after the government passed legislation in the face of mass student protests.

A bill passed over the objections of an estimated 18,000 students who demonstrated outside Parliament will allow private institutions to issue degrees equivalent to those from public universities, while international universities will be able to open fee-charging branches in Greece with non-profit status.

Public universities, which do not charge tuition fees to Greek and European Union students, have long complained that they have been starved of funding. Previous conservative governments have attempted to allow private universities, but have repeatedly been thwarted by student protests.

Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the ruling New Democracy Party argued that the legislation would provide “a guarantee of greater freedom and greater access to knowledge for all Greek students”, . The law would also facilitate the “strengthening” of public institutions, he said, and address the outpouring of tens of thousands of students to universities overseas.

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Opposition party Syriza, however, said the reforms would favour wealthy students while devaluing degrees from public universities. “The [government] is introducing the concept of meritocracy paid by tuition fees. Whoever has money will study: the power of privilege,” said lawmaker Harris Mamoulakis during the parliamentary debates.

Greece’s universities have long struggled against bureaucratic rigidity, limited funding and political interference, said Kevin Featherstone, director of the London School of Economics’ Hellenic Observatory.

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“There are areas of real academic excellence across Greek universities and research centres,” he said. “But historically this has been despite the institutional system, not because of it. Too often there is inertia, an aversion to meritocracy and politicisation.

“Greece ‘exports’ large numbers of students,” Professor Featherstone added. “There is clearly a demand that is not being met by the Greek system. But it is untenable for a country to send so many of its most able young students abroad, yet refuse to reform its universities at home.”

Dimitris Tziovas, professor emeritus of modern Greek studies at the University of Birmingham, said universities were still reeling from the country’s decade-long financial crisis. “The universities lost a substantial part of their funding and many retired members of staff have not been replaced,” he told Times Higher Education. “A number of departments in the universities outside Athens and Thessaloniki are struggling to attract students and they are in danger of closure.”

Opponents of the new law considered it to be “unconstitutional” and argued that it would “lead to the demise of state education”, Professor Tziovas said. Protestors fear that private institutions will offer higher salaries to staff and lower entry requirements to students, worsening public universities’ existing recruitment struggles.

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Professor Featherstone, meanwhile, described the legislation as an “important step forward”. “It enables foreign universities to enter Greece and it incentivises domestic universities to promote quality,” he said. But its impact would be limited, he added: “It does not grant home universities greater autonomy over their budgets, and they lack independence.

“I’m not clear whether that’s because ministers don’t trust the rectors to make the best decisions or because the ministers want to maintain their own political sway.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com