A step before the merger with the “Democritius” University, or maybe the “meteor step” of Kavala in higher education?

– Again, the professor of the International University of Greece, former president of the Technological Educational Foundation of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace and former administrator of the Democritus University of Thrace, said that the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is consistent with the promise he made before the elections, to do the ” Democritus” University, the third largest institution of higher education in Greece. To whom did the Prime Minister make this promise? Certainly not to the academics who have a different opinion, regarding the detachment of the university hubs of Kavala and Drama of DI.PA.E. and their inclusion in the D.P.Th. He certainly did not promise it to the local lords and societies of Kavala and Drama. He promised it to specific persons, such as the Member of Parliament for Rodopi of New Democracy, Euripides Stylianidis and the rector of D.P.Th., Fotis Maris.

– But what did K. Mitsotakis promise? What will the “Democritius” University, the third largest university in Greece, do. He said that he will do this by “cutting” a piece of the DI.PA.E.? We weren’t around when the Prime Minister made the promise, so we find it hard to believe that he said he would “cripple” a fledgling university. We believe that some people are using the Prime Minister’s promise to achieve their goal, which is to weaken DI.PA.E. and the absolute sovereignty of the D.P.Th. in the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace. Evr. Stylianidis commented, not by chance, that the departments of Kavala and Drama will “return” to the “Democritius” University. However, the sections of Kavala and Drama did not “leave” the D.P.Th., because they did not belong to it! The departments were under the Technological Educational Institution of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, which was abolished, within one summer, to create two hubs of DI.PA.E.

– Let’s accept the provocative statement of the Rodopis deputy, to express our question. How did the administration of the “Democritius” University allow them to “remove” seven departments, in order to join them in another university, which has its headquarters in another Region? Why didn’t he, then, react strongly and prevent the “stealing” of his parts? What we remember, is that the management of the Technological Educational Institute of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, before the agreement was made with DI.PA.E., had a discussion with the management of D.P.Th. departments of T.E.I. at the “Democritius” University, without response from the administrators of the University of Thrace. The acting rector, Stavros Touloupidis, stated that the Senate of the D.P.Th. met and decided to stop the “investigative contacts” with the Technological Educational Foundation of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, because the plan to merge three T.E.I. (of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, Central Macedonia, Thessaloniki) for the establishment of the new International University of Greece. “Our development strategy, as the Democritus University of Thrace, remains in the academic development in our Region and therefore, we will discuss the possibility again, when and if the policy of the Ministry of Education changes”, explained St. Touloupidis to the director of the office of the (then) Minister of Education.

-It seems that the current leadership of the Ministry of Education “has given the green light” for the implementation of the plan that the SY.RIZ.A. government interrupted. Only, in 2018, the “investigative contacts” were made between the administrations of two autonomous institutions, the Democritus University of Thrace and the Technological Educational Institute of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace. While today, the violent annexation of two university nodes to the “Democritius” University is being attempted with political intervention. Who can guarantee us, that after four or five years, the senate of D.P.Th. take the decision to transfer the sections from Kavala and Drama, for national reasons, to Orestiada, Didymoteicho and Soufli? And Kavala, which was the seat of a Technological Educational Institution, will be left without higher education departments! Will anyone react? Has anyone reacted to the abolition of T.E.I., with its absorption by DI.PA.E.? Does anyone, a member of parliament, or another local actor, react to the movement of the Kavala junction to the D.P.I.? The “sweater comes off slowly”…