Plans for a new international university in Northern Greece were announced by the Tsipras government last Saturday with the draft bill expected to be put before parliament for approval at the end of February.
The proposed university will be based in Thessaloniki with branches extending in six other cities of Northern Greece, while four tertiary-level educational institutes will be collaborating for its formation, namely the three technical colleges of Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and an already existing international university.
“It will be a predominantly outward looking university with courses conducted in foreign languages, and based on the important work already being done by the people at the four institutions it will comprise,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said following a meeting with representatives from the partnering institutions.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Costas Gavroglou spoke of multiple anticipated benefits for the region, including opening “channels of communication with the Balkans, both academic and in research.”
According to Mr. Gavroglou’s statement, at least eight new university departments will start operating by 2021, with one of the ministry’s upcoming priorities being the recruitment of sufficient staff for all departments to be able to run autonomously.
