Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-10-07

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Main opposition leader presents PASOK's proposals on education

[01] Main opposition leader presents PASOK's proposals on education

One of the plan's priorities is to encourage "quality competition with the guarantee of public social monitoring," he said.

Papandreou underlined the need for education to lead to employment and thus both fields to communicate continuously.

"State university will be the main vehicle in tertiary education, but we are not afraid of other types of non-state institutions," he said, adding that he was in favour of state controls to secure public interest, the link with productive forces and social needs.

According to PASOK's president, funding of universities' research - both basic and applied - is necessary in order to generate new knowledge and innovative technology in the former case and to contribute to the country's economic progress in the latter case.

He said that according to PASOK, 40% of the 4th Community Support Framework must be invested in education.

Referring to the problems tertiary education currently faces, Papandreou cited bureaucracy, suffocatingly close ties with the central administration and ineffective management.

The 'drastic changes' PASOK proposes include that each university is allowed to shape its own objectives, strategy and structure; is able to establish new programmes or departments through internal procedures; can find other sources of funding other than the state; provide universities with incentives to partner with renowned Greek scientists abroad who will commit to fixed-term teaching assignments.

In a statement later, the Education Ministry highlighted discrepancies in what main opposition PASOK President George Papandreou said when addressing the Conference of Deans and what his party has done, in a statement.

"PASOK's rejection of the Evaluation and Continuing Education bill which was recently passed in Parliament does raise questions," the statement read.

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