Greece is seeking to cement its place on the world education map by concentrating on internationalization on campuses around the country. The Strategic Partnership in Education, established by the British Council in March, aims to encourage collaboration between UK and Greek universities.
Christos Michalakelis, assistant professor at the Department of Informatics and Telematics at the Harokopio University of Athens and president and co-founder of Study in Greece, explained English-taught programs are the first big step towards globalization at the British Council’s 2021 conference.
He claims that over 140 master’s degrees are already available in English, French, or German. Study in Greece first attended NAFSA in 2021 and plans to continue attending future international education fairs, such as EU’s Study in Europe events, in collaboration with Greece’s State Scholarships Foundation.
“We are on the map, and we plan to stay on the educational map,” Michalakelis adds.
“Supporting the extroversion of Greek universities, providing information for studying and living in Greece, and promoting and supporting educational programs and activities in Greece for foreign students” is part of the Study in Greece project’s primary goal, he noted.
He also mentioned that Greek institutions are enthusiastic about the prospect of forming synergies with UK universities that would benefit both sides.
“Interest on the UK side, interest in the Greek side, we’ve seen fairly considerable development in transnational education in the last several years,” said Vivienne Stern. “However, I believe there are some areas in the UK-Greek relationship where there was a bit of a void, and one of them is student mobility.”
According to the most recent figures, just 150 UK students visited Greece during the 2016-17 academic year.
The number of UK students going overseas anywhere in the world is shockingly low, Stern continues adding that UUKi’s outbound strategy has been trying to solve the issue.
The fact that just 150 students from the UK spent time studying, working, or volunteering in Greece in the most recent year for which they have data is a clear indicator that something is wrong. So, these students would benefit from spending time at Greek institutions, learning about academics, the environment, and access to history, culture, and important economic sectors like shipping and tourism.
She went on to say that mobility initiatives may “start to plant the seeds of new institutional relationships.”
Stern indicated that one could be more aware of areas where they might collaborate in the execution of joint programs or conduct joint research after that. She concluded that significant advances in English language provision, as well as progress on professional qualifications and academic recognition for students at private institutions, will open up genuine possibilities.
Add comment