Re: Imperative to track all those billions lost to avoid corruption
Dear Editors,
Only a month has passed from the publication of my previous letter in the BMJ, and a new public University fund embezzlement scandal made headlines and front pages in Greek newspapers!
Hundreds of thousands of euros were spent on needless expenses at Greece’s largest University. [1][2][3]
Prosecutors are investigating the Rector himself!
Apparently, this happens because all public Universities in Greece suffer from widespread clientelism, excessive politicization, lack of evaluation and total absence of independent quality control. [5]
In fact, even the Greek State has internally conducted evaluations of only 171 out of 520 Public University Departments! [4]
I insist that European donors and Research Institutions should be advised not to finance projects in any Greek University until proper efficiency, transparency, evaluation and ranking criteria are established by independent international Committees.
[5] No evaluation, excessive politicization, excessive privileges, indiscriminate distribution of opportunities, curricular rigidity, excessive central regulation, too much student absenteeism, no quality management, clientelism, lack of coordination in Greek public Universities.
Public money goes directly to the university without any intermediate evaluation of their efficiency!
Antigoni Papadimitriou’s doctoral thesis at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.
Competing interests:
Dr Stavros Saripanidis is a diligent taxpayer who has been financing Greek public Universities for years. He is outraged to see such extreme and embarrassing embezzlements.
Rapid Response:
Re: Imperative to track all those billions lost to avoid corruption
Dear Editors,
Only a month has passed from the publication of my previous letter in the BMJ, and a new public University fund embezzlement scandal made headlines and front pages in Greek newspapers!
Hundreds of thousands of euros were spent on needless expenses at Greece’s largest University. [1][2][3]
Prosecutors are investigating the Rector himself!
Apparently, this happens because all public Universities in Greece suffer from widespread clientelism, excessive politicization, lack of evaluation and total absence of independent quality control. [5]
In fact, even the Greek State has internally conducted evaluations of only 171 out of 520 Public University Departments! [4]
I insist that European donors and Research Institutions should be advised not to finance projects in any Greek University until proper efficiency, transparency, evaluation and ranking criteria are established by independent international Committees.
References
[1] http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/57934
[2] http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_29/08/2012_458851
[3] http://www.amna.gr/english/articleview2.php?id=1180
[4] http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_17/08/2012_457255
[5] No evaluation, excessive politicization, excessive privileges, indiscriminate distribution of opportunities, curricular rigidity, excessive central regulation, too much student absenteeism, no quality management, clientelism, lack of coordination in Greek public Universities.
Public money goes directly to the university without any intermediate evaluation of their efficiency!
Antigoni Papadimitriou’s doctoral thesis at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.
http://www.utwente.nl/mb/cheps/publications/Publications%202011/thesis%2...
Competing interests: Dr Stavros Saripanidis is a diligent taxpayer who has been financing Greek public Universities for years. He is outraged to see such extreme and embarrassing embezzlements.