Greece to install ID-dased entry systems at urban universities

Controlled entry systems using gates and ID cards will be installed by year’s end at Greece’s most vulnerable universities, primarily in urban centers, Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki announced Friday.

Speaking at the Rectors’ Summit in the northern region of Halkidiki, Zacharaki said all universities must submit or update their security plans by the end of July. Emergency funding will be provided to support implementation.

The announcement comes amid renewed concerns over campus safety following a violent attack last week at the University of Athens Law School, where eight masked assailants stormed a lecture, injuring a student and spraying a professor with a fire extinguisher.

Despite a 2021 law requiring safety plans, most universities have yet to fully implement them. The conservative government, which repealed a ban on police entering campuses in 2019, has voiced frustration at persistent security gaps.

Zacharaki also outlined plans to toughen penalties for campus violence, including expedited trials and up to 24-month suspensions for students arrested for criminal acts.

She further addressed the issue of “eternal” students, pledging legislation to distinguish active from inactive enrollment, with conditional exceptions for workers, athletes and students with health issues.

Kathimerini