Greek students protest, clash with authorities ahead of Parliament’s education bill vote

As Greek Parliament’s decision to pass a controversial education bill was expected on Friday, weeks of otherwise peaceful protests from university students escalated into clashes with local authorities. Angered students threw petrol bombs at police in Athens, who retaliated with tear gas. If passed, the legislation in question will allow private, foreign universities to set up campuses across the nation, leaving Greek post-secondary students concerned that their degrees from public institutions could be devalued and impact their ability to secure jobs in an already hindered market. “[This bill means that] our degrees will become toilet paper. It means that the next day we will have to compete with a wide variety of graduates with various degrees. It means that free public education will be severely degraded,” a social work major named Angeliki said during a protest in Athens on Friday. Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged lawmakers to vote the bill through. The centre-right leader claims the law will help the country’s economy amid a decade-long financial crisis by not only increasing their level of education, but by reeling native students back in who opted to study abroad. For more info, please go to Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: Like Global News on Facebook HERE: Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: #GlobalNews #Greece #Protests