Greek women they leave British universities due to Brexitand one of its strengths Britannia shocking as there is a general climate of students leaving EU countries. “Now the Chinese and Indians are left in our university,” one of the leaders of a famous British university complained to the Minister of Education. Niki Kerameos during her recent visit to the UK. However, Brexit hurdles are also affecting Greek teachers in UK schools.

Particularly since the UK has officially left the EU. January 1st, 2021 2021-2022 international applications for UK universities decreased sharply. According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the drop in applications from foreigners in 2021-2022 was 47%, and in Greece the percentage is estimated to be even higher. In 2020-2021, 10,250 Greeks studied there.

Prior to this, however, the number of Greek students pursuing a first degree had been on the rise. According to the latest data from the UK Higher Education Statistics Service (HESA), in 2018-2019 the number of Greeks with a first degree was 5260, in 2019-2020 they increased to 5365, and in 2020-2021 another 5570 people. This is because students who started undergraduate studies in the UK prior to 2020-2021 were still subject to the Low Tuition Fee and Living Credit regime. From 01.01.2021 the status of EU students has changed. (and therefore also Greeks) who are now included in the category of foreign students (students from third countries), which affects the amount of tuition fees, their access to student loans, their living conditions. Therefore, they lost their status as British students.

However, the total number of Greek students (undergraduate and graduate students) in the UK has begun to decline gradually (10,905 in 2018-19, 10,565 in 2019-20 and 10,250 in 2020-2021), with the entire decline recorded among PhD students . In particular, there were 3365 people in the magistracy in 2018-19, 3105 people in 2019-20 and 2735 people in 2020-2021, and in doctoral studies there were 2075 people in 2018-19, 1935 people in 2019-20 and 1835 people in 2020-2021. On the other hand, it is observed that the universities of Scotland hold back forces in relation to the universities of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Official data for the current year is expected in late January – early February.

The Greek students seem to have moved on to the private Greek colleges which are affiliated with British universities as their affiliates in our country. According to the UK Transnational Education Scale 2020-2021 report released last Friday, a total of 21,530 Greeks studied at UK university affiliate colleges in our country in 2020-21, with an increase of 9.2 . % compared to the previous year. Based on the same number, Greece ranked seventh in the world (China ranked first with 61,495 students) and first in Europe.

At the same time, the free movement of workers and teachers, not limited within the EU, was subject to significant restrictions, such as the obligation to issue a visa for a significant fee, the income criterion for staying in the country, labor intensity. the procedure for issuing the necessary documents, etc. This affected the Greek teachers who were seconded to Greek schools in the UK.

During her visit to the UK, Ms Kerameos brought to the attention of her colleague Gillian Keegan the problems that European teachers had and suggestions to solve them (Greece, in particular, has found temporary solutions, such as covering hourly positions that appear not to have status of permanent employment in Britain), and the Greek strategy of extroversion of our universities and the possibility of synergy with British ones, as is already being done with US institutions of higher education. Such as noted yesterday in “K” Director of the press service of the Ministry of Education Olga Gianiadis, “cooperation will be mutually beneficial: for the Greeks and the British, the mutual exchange of know-how, teaching staff, students, joint / double diplomas, summer programs, etc. – as well as the access of the British to the universities of an EU member state”.

Numbers

47% is the fall in the number of foreign student applications in 2021-2022. For Greece, the score is slightly higher.

10 250 Greeks studied at British universities in 2020-2021.

21 530 The number of Greeks studying at affiliated colleges of British universities in our country increased by 9.2% in 2020-2021.