Birth rate decline is a threat to universities – Rectors

Greek university rectors are calling for a complete restructuring of higher education as the country’s demographic crisis threatens to devastate enrolment numbers starting in 2026, reports Apostolos Lakasas for Ekathimerini.com.

The rectors describe the situation in dramatic terms, demanding immediate intervention from both the state and academic community. Regional institutions, in particular, are expected to face the most severe impact.

Greece’s ominous demographic collapse began in 2009 following the economic crisis that paralysed the country for a decade. The decline accelerated due to external migration of young Greeks and immigrants who had settled in the country. The demographic downturn has already forced thousands of classroom closures and school shutdowns in both remote areas and major urban centres as primary and secondary enrolment shrinks annually. University of Patras Rector Christos Bouras warned of an impending “collapse of the academic map due to the demographic problem”.
Full report on the Ekathimerini.com site