Deputy Minister of Education Nikos Papaioannou requests detailed reports from universities on the operation of Equal Access Units for Persons with Disabilities.

The Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports is calling for an evaluation of the accessibility units in higher education institutions.

Deputy Minister of Education responsible for Higher Education, Nikos Papaioannou, has sent a formal request to the administrations of the country’s Higher Education Institutions, asking for a written and detailed report from each university regarding the establishment and operation of Equal Access Units for Persons with Disabilities and individuals with special educational needs, as stipulated in Article 209 of Law 4957/2022.

In the related letter sent to the administrations of the universities, the Ministry also requests information on how the allocated funding has been managed. However, the core purpose is to determine whether the established structures are effectively fulfilling their intended role—namely, ensuring the full participation of all university community members with disabilities or special educational needs in all academic and research activities of their institution.

Mr. Papaioannou recently met with Giorgos Triantafyllou, an eighth-semester student in the Department of Theatre at the School of Fine Arts at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), who had submitted a memorandum to the Ministry sharing his personal experience and calling on the State to intervene due to the multiple challenges he faces daily as a student on the autism spectrum.

The discussion during this meeting highlighted the need for systematic monitoring of the operation of the Equal Access Units in universities, with a particular focus on documenting student experiences. This would help identify problems and dysfunctions, ensuring that interventions are tailored to the diverse needs and circumstances of each individual, and that all forms of disability are taken into account.

It is worth noting that Mr. Triantafyllou had previously spoken to protothema.gr following the submission of his memorandum to both the Ministry of Education and the Rector of AUTH. He expressed full satisfaction with his communication with Mr. Papaioannou, praising both the Deputy Minister’s immediate response and his willingness to address the issue promptly.