Editorial: Article 16

One can understand SYRIZA’s need to remain faithful to an agenda that reminds one that it is not merely populist party, but also left-wing.

That does not mean, however, that one must accept the ruling party’s need being met at the expense of society and its progress.

It is impermissible for partisan criteria to take precedence over the need of the whole of society to meet the challenges of our era instead of remaining bound by the fixed ideas of a bygone era.

One such fixation is SYRIZA’s stubborn refusal to revise Article 16 of the Constitution, which forbids the founding of non-state universities.

The country has the maturity and capability to establish a non-state, not-for-profit university which could at once stem the exodus of Greek students who leave the country to study at foreign universities and attract foreign students to study in Greece.

SYRIZA is choosing to block what is a given in almost the entire world. It does so despite the fact that the majority of Greeks and most of the country’s political parties support the establishment of private, nonprofit universities.

One should note that the proposal to allow the establishment of non-state universities is supported by both the centre-right and the centre-left.

Consequently, the opportunity provided by the constitutional amendment process that has begun should not be lost.

It would be a pity to have to wait another decade, which is when the next constitutional revision can take place, for our country to acquire non-state universities and more centres of knowledge, research, and the exchange of ideas.