ATHENS — The government has started to "completely lose control of both the pandemic and political control and is being led to anti-democratic manipulations" said main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras in parliament on Wednesday, during the debate on the draft education bill.

Addressing Education Minister Niki Kerameus, he said: "You are bringing the bill without carrying out a dialogue with the educational community bodies and while parliament is functioning under a special regime…You bring a bill that provokes reactions, despite the fact that [university] rectors, students, even police officers and members of your party oppose it. You insist, even if though you are opposed by the overwhelming majority of parents and pupils, who cannot express themselves and are doing classes online. You bring a bill that will result in 24,000 fewer university admissions and, at the same time, you are changing the university admission system in the midst of a pandemic. All this at a time when our minds and thoughts are fully occupied by the pandemic and how we can avoid catching the coronavirus."