A Crucial Week for Students, Families and Teachers
At a time when tens of thousands of families are awaiting the results of the Panhellenic Examinations, while the government is seeking to accelerate reforms across all levels of education, Sofia Zacharaki presented a broad package of measures extending from university entry scores to student housing, permanent teacher appointments and the operation of non-state, non-profit universities.
Speaking to ERTNews and journalist Kostas Papachlimintzos, the Education Minister announced that university entry scores will be released on Thursday, July 23, after 11:00 a.m., while the Government Gazette listing the non-state, non-profit university branches that will be licensed to operate from the autumn is expected to be published on Friday.
The timing of the two announcements is politically and educationally significant. On the one hand, the long wait for Panhellenic Examination candidates is coming to an end. On the other, a new chapter is formally opening in Greek higher education—one that continues to provoke strong debate among the government, the opposition, academics and student organisations.
Entry Scores Announced Earlier to Give Families More Time
This year’s university entry scores are being announced earlier than in previous years, a decision that, according to the minister, is intended to give successful candidates and their families more time to prepare.
The earlier publication is not merely an administrative detail. For thousands of households, it means they can begin searching for accommodation, planning a move, completing university registration and organising the financial demands of the new academic year sooner.
Candidates will be able to access their results through the Education Ministry’s official online platform by entering their eight-digit examination code and the first four letters of their surname, first name, father’s name and mother’s name.
Those who registered for the ministry’s dedicated notification service will also receive their admission results by SMS.
Candidates applying to Public Vocational Training Schools, known as SAEK, will be able to access their results through the relevant ministry platform using their eight-digit code and the personal password they used when submitting their application.
Entry Scores Are More Than Just Numbers
Every year, the movement of university entry scores reflects a complex combination of factors: the difficulty of the examination papers, candidate performance, the number of available places, subject weighting, the Minimum Admission Base and, above all, the preferences declared in the university application forms.
For the government, the announcement of the results is the first major milestone. The next challenge is dealing with the reality students face after gaining admission: where they will live, how much relocation will cost and whether their families can afford housing in a large city or tourist destination.
That is why Sofia Zacharaki linked the Panhellenic Examination results directly to the government’s student housing policy.
The Target of 10,000 New Student Beds
Student accommodation has become one of the most urgent social problems facing higher education.
Rising rents, limited housing supply and the expansion of short-term rentals have created a situation in which admission to a university far from home can become an unbearable financial burden.
The minister presented the government’s plan to build and renovate student residences through Public-Private Partnerships, with the aim of providing more than 10,000 new beds over the coming years.
Projects are already at various stages of planning and implementation in:
- Crete,
- Thessaly,
- Western Macedonia,
- Athens,
- and universities that currently lack adequate accommodation facilities.
At Panteion University, a student residence is being created for the first time, providing 198 beds in a renovated building.
The project also carries broader symbolic significance. Instead of allowing public or university-owned buildings to remain closed, abandoned or underused, the plan is to convert them into infrastructure with a clear social purpose.
More Than €220 Million for University Buildings
Alongside the new residences, the government is planning energy upgrades and modernisation works in 17 university buildings, with a total budget exceeding €220 million, financed through the Social Climate Fund.
The programme has two main objectives.
First, it aims to improve study and living conditions. Second, it seeks to reduce the energy costs of ageing buildings, many of which face problems with heating, cooling, accessibility and general maintenance.
The plan also includes the renovation of existing student residences, including facilities on Patision Street in Athens, where the condition of the buildings has repeatedly drawn complaints from students.
The political challenge for the ministry is not simply to announce funding but to ensure that projects move rapidly from planning, contracts and licensing to actual completion and the delivery of new student beds.
Housing Support for Teachers, Doctors and Nurses
The housing crisis is not limited to students.
Thousands of teachers, particularly substitute teachers posted to islands and tourist regions, struggle every year to find affordable accommodation. In many cases, rent consumes a large part of their salary, while property owners prefer to make homes available for short-term tourist rentals.
Zacharaki announced that a programme is being developed in cooperation with the Interior Ministry and local authorities to renovate municipal buildings and make them available to:
teachers, doctors and nurses.
The initiative is intended to address a common staffing problem affecting public services in island and remote regions. Appointing a teacher or doctor is not enough if that person cannot afford to live in the area where they are expected to work.
According to the minister, the package also includes measures such as double rent rebates in certain cases and tax incentives for property owners who lease homes to teachers and other public-sector workers.
Whether those incentives will be sufficient to compete with the higher returns offered by tourist rentals remains to be seen. Nevertheless, recognising housing as a core factor in the staffing of public education marks a significant shift in policy.
5,500 New Permanent Teacher Appointments in August
One of the most politically significant announcements was that 5,500 new permanent teaching appointments will be announced in mid-to-late August.
The minister said that approximately 50,000 permanent teachers have been appointed since 2020, a figure she said exceeds the number of retirements during the same period.
Through permanent recruitment, the government is seeking gradually to reduce the education system’s dependence on substitute teachers.
However, the problem of school vacancies is more complicated than the overall number of appointments. It is affected by:
- the geographical distribution of staff,
- shortages in particular subjects,
- special education needs,
- leave and secondments,
- staffing difficulties on islands and in remote areas,
- and changes in the student population.
The real test for the 5,500 appointments will be whether they are directed accurately to the areas of greatest need and completed in time for the new school year to begin with fewer vacancies.
Government Gazette on Non-State Universities Expected Friday
The second major issue concerns non-state, non-profit universities.
The minister said that the Government Gazette listing the institutions authorised to operate from the autumn is expected to be published on Friday.
A total of nine applications are being assessed, and Zacharaki estimated that more than six could receive a positive evaluation from the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education.
The publication of the licences will be the first full test of the new legal framework.
The government argues that the reform could:
- reduce the number of Greek students leaving to study abroad,
- attract foreign universities,
- strengthen internationalisation,
- generate new educational and research investment,
- and expand the choices available to families.
The opposition and parts of the academic community argue that the new model could deepen social inequality, place additional pressure on public universities and raise questions over constitutionality and academic equivalence.
With the licensing stage approaching, the debate is moving from theory to implementation: which institutions meet the requirements, which programmes they will offer, how much tuition will cost and how academic standards will be guaranteed.
A New Upper Secondary School Model
Zacharaki also referred to the national dialogue on reforming the Lyceum, or upper secondary school, reviving the debate over a stronger school-leaving certificate and a greater emphasis on skills.
The objective is to create a system in which a student’s future is not determined solely by a single three-hour examination, but also takes broader account of school performance.
This opens a difficult discussion.
Strengthening the role of the school-leaving certificate requires grades to be comparable and reliable across all schools. Otherwise, new inequalities may emerge between regions, schools and students with unequal access to private tutoring.
The government has also reiterated that the multiple-textbook system will be introduced from September 2027, alongside new curricula and updated educational materials.
The success of the reform will depend on teacher training, digital infrastructure and the timely delivery of the new books.
Response to Turkey Over Minority Schools
The minister also responded to claims by the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding minority schools in Thrace.
Zacharaki rejected the allegations as unfounded, stressing that Greece fully applies the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne and maintains a special operating framework for minority schools.
She said that schools are suspended only when student numbers become extremely low, as also occurs within the mainstream Greek education system.
The issue is particularly sensitive because education within the Muslim minority is frequently used by Ankara as a field of diplomatic pressure.
Athens is seeking to frame such decisions as strictly educational and demographic, rejecting the interpretation that they amount to restrictions on minority rights.
Evacuations of University Squats to Continue
The minister also said that the policy of clearing occupied university buildings will continue, together with restoration and redevelopment works.
She cited the historic Evangelismos building in Crete, for which more than €6 million in funding has been approved.
The government’s position is that clearing a building should not end with a police operation. It must be followed by immediate redevelopment so that the property does not fall into disuse again and is returned to the academic community.
For the government, the issue is linked to security, the protection of public property and the restoration of university facilities.
For student groups and political organisations opposed to the policy, it raises questions about university freedoms, political expression and the future use of historic buildings.
An Education Agenda Extending Far Beyond the Panhellenic Examinations
Zacharaki’s announcements do not amount to isolated measures. Together, they form a broader education policy agenda.
The government is simultaneously seeking:
to complete the Panhellenic Examination process smoothly, reduce the cost of studying, strengthen school staffing, reform upper secondary education, introduce non-state universities and reclaim underused university buildings.
It is an ambitious undertaking that will be judged not by the number of announcements but by measurable results:
- how many new student beds are delivered and when,
- how quickly school vacancies are filled,
- how the new university branches operate,
- whether the cost of studying is reduced for families,
- and whether the new Lyceum model eases or intensifies examination pressure.
The release of this year’s entry scores is the immediate news. The larger political issue, however, is whether the education system can support students and teachers after the results are announced.
Because the true success of an education policy is not measured only by admission to university. It is measured by the quality of studies, equality of opportunity, decent housing and the ability of every young person to complete their education without their family’s financial position determining their future.
Source: pagenews.gr