 get enough competence from the talents of its people. The results achieved are not on par with the skills that can be developed. This is not just a question of advancing the attainments of those who continue on to higher education, but of better utilizing the faculties of every citizen.
Without changes, the Greek population will be undereducated and research understaffed for the requirements of a knowledge-driven society. Civic culture will suffer. Greek universities will not maintain international standards. This is a problem permeating the whole system, from training in basic education to time spent on basic research.
But there is much reason for optimism: The Greek system of higher education can indeed be improved. With enthusiasm-driven, effort and reform, it is possible to achieve a comprehensive betterment of both quality and performance. What is desired is within reach. Increased quality can go hand in hand with the goal of equal opportunity, independent of gender, social, geographic, ethnic or social background.
The Greek system of higher education is mired in the past – with structures and procedures that hamper the development of skill and talent. No one starting from scratch would organize higher education in Greece as it is found today. Hence, comprehensive reforms are necessary – urgently. There is a broad understanding in Greece of what needs to be done. Yet the system provides short-term benefits for maintaining the status quo, and therefore many are finding incentives to oppose reform. Instead, universities must be given the freedom to change and their faculty, students and staff should be empowered to act.
The challenges Greek higher education faces cannot be solved piecemeal. A fundamental reorientation is necessary under a well-articulated perspective on the future of universities, based on universal principles for the aims of higher education and research. Greek universities will have to change in a global environment that itself is changing, rapidly and irreversibly. Among the changes are the growth of knowledge economies, the information revolution, the internationalization of economies, migration and brain drain. If reforms are not implemented now to meet and master these changes, Greece will increasingly be at a disadvantage.
No Western country has such an illustrious academic past as Greece – indeed, the legacy of classical Greece has provided the foundation for all higher education and research around the world: Greece needs to catch up with its past, urgently and decisively.
A country as small as Greece can no longer afford to lose the talents of its citizens. A comprehensive program of reform needs to be undertaken and implemented without delay.
B. The Findings
In addition to the various meetings in Greece on December 17, 2010, the members of the committee had access to reports, documents and parts of the Greek Constitution as it relates to higher education. The reports, discussions and debates among the members of the committee informed the following findings:
· This is a critical time in Greece’s history, characterized by a financial crisis with serious ramifications for the country’s existing social and political structures. Addressing the challenge as was articulated above requires fundamental and meaningful reform not only of the Greek financial institutions but of educational institutions as well.
· Greece’s system of Higher Education suffers from a crisis of values as well as outdated policies and organizational structures. The tragedy is that leaders, scholars, students and political parties that aim to promote the public good have been trapped in a system that subverts the goals they seek, corrupts the ideals they pursue and forsakes the public they serve.
· The enormity of the challenge and the urgency with which it must be addressed requires not just reform, but a change in civic culture. And this can only come from fundamental changes, notably in the institutions of higher learning which have to set the example and demonstrate the standards for the rest of the society.
· The commi