The Technological Education Institution (TEI) of Crete has announced that it will cease all education and administrative functions for a week, during the exam period that begun on the 2nd of September, in response to the budget and staff cuts.
The TEI president Evangelos Kapetanakis tried to postpone the closure for after the exam period, to avoid causing any problems to students; however a majority Senate vote supported an immediate closure. Representatives of the TEI have cited the inability to cover basic operation needs, such as teaching supplies and the repairs and maintenance of its buildings.
Mr. Kapetanakis explained to Vima that the institution had a two-million-euro surplus from last year which it planned to use, but the Ministry of Education informed them that they would not be allowed to change this year’s budget and use the money. As such, the TEI now only has 25,000 euros available for immediate expenses, adding that “soon we will not even have paper”.
The TEI president stated that “we are undermining the lives and diplomas of our students” and that “higher education is not the subject of discussion in a yard or a plan that doesn’t take into consideration the people”.
Worries at University of Ioannina
The Rector of the University of Ioannina issued a press release, expressing his fears about the future of the institution, in light of the latest budget and staff cuts. The Rector explains how he has faced repeated administrative staff cuts, which has had an impact on the operation of the university’s seven schools and fifteen departments.
