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Greek students, teachers protest education bill

01 Mar 2007 17:03:36 GMT
Source: Reuters

ATHENS, March 1 (Reuters) - Five people were detained on Thursday for hurling petrol bombs at Greek police in scuffles during a student march against education reforms, police said.

Greece's centre-right government has submitted to parliament a bill which changes the way universities are funded and organised, saying it was needed to bring competition to the troubled state schools.

Teachers and students opposed to the changes say the government is not addressing real problems or keeping its pre-election pledges to increase funding for education.

"We want public and free education and the complete scrapping of the law," said student Magda Mistrioti, 21, waving a banner at the march of about 4,000 protesters.

Banners read "Public and Free Education for all" and "The reforms will never pass" with marching students and teachers chanting "Hands off the asylum".

Among the most emotive issues addressed in the bill is that of university "asylum", which prevents police from entering campuses, a remnant of the Greek junta days when the military crushed a 1973 student uprising with tanks, killing many.

The bill, which will make it easier for police to enter university grounds, is being debated in parliament and will go for a vote next week. It is expected to pass as the government holds a comfortable majority.

"We want the draft bill to be withdrawn and businesses to stay out of schools," said Costas Skoularikos, 26, a postgraduate student at Panteios University.

The planned education reforms have sparked months of protests, forcing one set of university exams to be postponed. Teachers' unions say a total of about 300 university departments are not operating due to student protests.

Student demonstrations against the government's education reforms have become a weekly ritual in the city's centre, disrupting traffic and often resulting in scuffles with police.

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Last updated:Thu Mar 1 17:04:29 2007