ATHENS — Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras, in a question for the prime minister in parliament on Tuesday, asked that the government not implement changes in the system for university admission as they will exclude some 20,000 to 30,000 applicants.

"The government's policy of limiting the number of students admitted to state universities will undoubtedly lead to a significant increase in the number of private colleges, for those who can afford the tuition fees, but also a rapid increase in educational inequality," Tsipras said, adding that the establishment of a minimum pass mark for admission is expected to lead to 20,000 to 30,000 fewer candidates entering universities compared to last year, and to create thousands of vacancies in regional universities, leading them to an administrative and financial impasse.