Greece is on the verge of a significant transformation in its education sector, with the government presenting a bill for the establishment of private universities. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called this move a "historic reform" for the country's education system. The proposed non-state university institutions are expected to begin operating by the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year. If that is the case, it would mark the fifth-ever Constitutional amendment in the Greek Constitution, the last one being in 2019 (the three only other times were in 1986, 2001, 2008)
Protest of University Students against Privatization of Universities in Athens, 2024
More specifically, the existing constitution explicitly states that "higher education is provided exclusively by institutions that are legal persons under public law with full self-government."
Therefore, under this provision, higher education can only be provided by institutions that are governed by the provisions of public rather than private law.
Currently, higher educational institutions have their own governing bodies, which are supervised by the state. State universities are also non-profit, financed by the state, and have their own property and staff.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend this constitutional constraint and introduce a new era in Greek higher education by allowing the establishment of private universities.
This shift requires a modification of the constitution, a process that involves several steps and considerations, as the Greek constitution, along with most written ones, is very rigid.
"Parliament has the right to revise or amend the Constitution, except for the articles dealing with the "Form of the State" (the establishment of the presidential, parliamentary republic) and the articles safeguarding human rights and freedoms, which are unalterable.
Revision of the Constitution is initiated by a motion by at least one-sixth of MPs, in this case, the bill for the establishment of private universities serves as the proposal, and is approved by a supermajority of three-fifths of MPs, expressed twice, in two separate votes at least one month apart. In this case, the revision duty is transferred to the next term of Parliament, i.e., after the following legislative elections. Parliament may then ratify the revision by a 50% plus one majority.
Indisputably, once approved by the Parliament, the amendment is sent to the President for approval. The President's role is mostly formal, and approval is typically granted.
Moreover, the operation of non-state - non-profit university institutions is expected to be under strict terms and conditions. In more detail, the minister of Education stressed: that the criteria for the establishment of non-state universities will be the strictest in Europe, a minimum of 30 teachers with a doctorate for each university will be required and the state-independent higher education authority will be responsible for examining files on the building infrastructure, the curriculum and the competence of the teaching staff.