Greece’s Education Ministry has introduced a bill in parliament to establish a Higher School of Performing Arts within the country’s higher education system, offering university-level studies in theater, dance and music. While officials describe it as a long-overdue reform, opposition parties have raised concerns over access, planning and implementation. The legislation, is currently being debated in the Greek Parliament.
Government: “A historic reform”
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki described the bill as a “historic reform,” saying it would finally provide a structured academic framework for artistic disciplines that, until now, have lacked a unified university-level pathway in Greece.
According to the ministry, the new institution will be a fully self-governed higher education entity, integrated into the national university system. It will offer undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs, alongside research activities and standardized quality controls.
Officials say the reform aims to resolve longstanding issues in artistic education, including fragmented regulations, unclear degree classifications and limited links to higher education and the public sector.
Admission to the new school will not follow Greece’s nationwide university entrance exams, known as the Panhellenic exams. Instead, candidates will be selected through specialized assessments, including in-person auditions or performance-based evaluations, along with written and oral components.
Opposition raises concerns over access and planning
Despite broad acknowledgment that reform is needed, opposition parties have expressed varying degrees of skepticism about the bill’s design and potential impact.
PASOK’s rapporteur Stefanos Parastatidis said the creation of a performing arts school has been a long-standing demand of the artistic community for more than 40 years. However, he emphasized that such an initiative requires broad consensus, technical expertise, clear planning and sufficient resources to be viable.
Without these elements, he warned, there is a real risk that the project could fail to add value to Greece’s arts education system. He also criticized a lack of continuity in education policy, noting that three different education ministers, have served in recent years, each pursuing different approaches rather than a consistent national strategy, despite all of them being New Democracy lawmakers.
From SYRIZA, Katerina Notopoulou raised concerns about limited capacity at the proposed institution, arguing that only a small number of students would be admitted to state-run programs. She questioned what options would remain for those excluded, suggesting they may be pushed toward private colleges, and argued the bill does not fully address the broader demand for free public arts education.
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), through Ioannis Delis, criticized the proposal as a “patchwork” of existing state art schools. He argued it lacks provisions for modern infrastructure, contains vague references to study programs and fails to include meaningful student support measures.
Sia Anagnostopoulou of New Left said the bill attempts to address a long-standing issue in a fragmented sector but lacks clarity in its objectives. She warned that existing fragmentation risks being replaced by “ambiguity” rather than a coherent framework.
From Plefsi Eleftherias, Elli Roussou said the provisions suggest an effort to manage the problem rather than resolve it in a comprehensive way.
KKE and New Left have already said they will vote against the bill, while other opposition parties are expected to finalize their positions during the parliamentary plenary session.
Additional provisions in the bill
Alongside the creation of the performing arts university, the bill includes several other education-related measures.
The ministry has introduced a formal framework for implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in public schools. Thirteen schools have already been selected as candidates, with teacher training underway and a timeline aiming for program launch in September 2026.
Officials clarified that participation in the IB program will not provide an alternative pathway to Greek public universities, where admission will continue to depend exclusively on the Panhellenic exams.
Extended support for Tempi railway disaster victims
The bill also includes provisions related to the 2023 Tempi railway disaster, one of Greece’s deadliest train accidents.
Specifically, it extends until 2027 a special admission scheme that allows eligible individuals affected by the disaster to enter higher education institutions and ecclesiastical academies under exceptional criteria. According to the Education Ministry, the extension ensures that beneficiaries have sufficient time and flexibility to prepare and exercise this right without strict time constraints.
In addition, the bill updates rules for exceptional student transfers, introducing clearer criteria based on the nature of each case. Priority is given to undergraduate students, and limits are set on differences in admission scores between departments, aiming to prevent significant academic disparities within the same program.
