Education Minister Andreas Loverdos is insistent on cracking the “eternal student” syndrome that is popular in Greece. The phenomenon is widespread as figures for the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) show that only 10% of students enrolled in higher education end up graduating. Mr. Loverdos says he plans to change all this by deleting these students from university and college lists.

“From 2007 and in 2011 students of Universities and Technical Education Institutes (TEI) colleges who had yet to complete their studies will be deleted from enrolment lists by September 2014,” he said. According to this plan, 200,000 “eternal students” will be deleted from lists and will not be given any more extension periods.

Mr. Loverdos feels that this sector of the student body has already been given enough leeway and opportunity to continue studies but has remained stagnant nonetheless. Only a few made use of the offer for repeat examination that was offered. There is the view that a large group of inactive students have not done enough to show interest in acquiring a degree, however the ministry is quick to point out that social criteria is always taken into account when there is a genuine reason for delay.

There are currently 230,000 students actively involved in higher education. This is the first time that a minister is seeking to free placements of inactive students that are being held by “eternal students” that have essentially abandoned their course of studies.