ATHENS – The main elements of his party’s proposed plan for education presented New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday, speaking at members of the academic community in Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre, Athens.

ND’s proposals will bring a revolution in education, Mitsotakis said, and added that the proposed changes revolve around three key principles: access to education for all Greek children in academically autonomous institutions; linking institutions with the economy; and ensuring that all those involved in education are evaluated regularly.

Mitsotakis and his associates then went on to present ND’s proposals in detail. These included:

– Public schools will turn into a modern and creative hub, where acquiring critical and digital skills will be privileged over rote memorization

– The school syllabus will be enriched with new, interactive teaching methods as well as new subjects, such as voluntarism, entrepreneurial skills, road behavior, etc.

– Students will be given the chance to do internships in companies in order to choose their profession more confidently

– Establishment of the National Baccalaureate, acquired after successfully graduating from high school (lykeio)

– Technical education will be upgraded so it can become a conscious choice for many, rather than a measure of last resort for few

– Academic institutions will become pillars of development and will be linked with the entrepreneurial and productive world

– ND will remove the constitutional obstacles currently impeding private Universities from operating in Greece

– Educational institutions will be given greater autonomy: public schools will have more freedom to decide on educational matters and administration; universities will be able to set their own educational and research activities, receive funding from the private sector and decide individually on the number of incoming students per year as well as the grade required for entry.

– Measures to ensure equal opportunities: all children will be guaranteed a place at a kindergarten; computer skills and foreign languages will be taught at schools and students given the opportunity to receive certification through exams; scholarships will be available for all for postgraduate programs and will be allotted based on academic merit and the student’s financial situation

– Security will be increased in schools and universities, and university asylum abolished.