Students hold mass rallies across Greece

Riot police clashed with dozens of hooded youths in central Athens on Feb. 22 during a protest march against the Greek government's education reforms. University students and professors also held demonstrations across Greece, protesting against a draft law made public this week on higher education. Thousands of protesters marched to the education ministry building and parliament declaring their opposition to the government-sponsored law. Unions representing primary and secondary education teachers also called a strike in a show of solidarity. Riot police fired tear gas at a group of hooded youths in central Athens, causing the city center to be sealed off for hours. One person was reported arrested. In the northern port city of Thessaloniki, students and teachers also held a protest march on the sidelines of a 24-hour-strike called by the teachers' federations. Students are opposed to government reforms to allow privately run universities to operate, altering the law on asylum and instituting an evaluation process for faculties and research departments. The wide-ranging discontent has forced the closure of hundreds of university departments. Private tertiary education institutions are banned from operating in Greece and the conservative government believes the new law, allowing for the operation of private universities, would lead to greater competitiveness and higher educational standards. Teachers, students and union leaders insist the government should upgrade free public education instead and fear the move could lead to higher education costs and lower teaching standards. Educators accuse the government of failing to keep one of its main pre-election promises of hiking education funding to five percent of GDP from a current 3.5 percent. Greece's parliament is expected to vote in March on the measures that would require a constitutional amendment.