Delphi is a four-day flagship conference takes place in the ancient town.
Bill Papastergiadis was a speaker alongside Nick Lairgakis and Jimmy Kokotos, which focused on the contribution of the diaspora to structural change in Greece.
Papastergiadis at the Delphi Economic Forum said, “Greece, with its rich history and culture, should become a global educational destination.”
With Nick Larigakis from Greece (co presenter) and the convenor of the presentation (Andreas Zamboukas)
Bill also said, “now is the time to invest in developing different programs at the university level, particularly in the humanities areas, which will help with Greece’s economy and increase its influence globally”.
Papastergiadis noted that the education sector in Australia at the tertiary level pre-COVID contributed $32 billion to the economy, with over 700,000 students and 130,000 people employed in this sector.
The education sector's contribution at the tertiary level in Australia is comparable to the value of tourism in Greece, which at pre-COVID was 37 Billion.
Greece has already made some strides in its tertiary educations sector. Still, a concerted effort in developing courses and degrees in the English language alongside the Greek language would be imperative in numerous faculties, including science, medicine and architecture.
Papastergiadis said that by bringing together its history from ancient Greece to modern practices and investing further in the humanities, faculties students would be attracted globally.
As is currently in Australia, Greece could become a global destination in education. It has all the prerequisites needed, including its rich cultural heritage and deep history.
In particular, BJP said, “research units on the Greek Diaspora should be established in different universities throughout Greece, including Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki. These centres in Greece would work with other universities globally, particularly the new Greek Community of Melbourne Centre for the Hellenic global diaspora at Melbourne University and the La Tobe University Greek program”.
With Ms Avgerinopoulou (member of Greek Parliament) and Larigakis
Equally, bilateral agreements are required between Greece and other countries and its universities to exchange teaching staff and students. For instance, it would be essential to have students from Australia studying in Greece who could have that course work recognised in their degrees in Australia.
Further, Greece should also invest in expanding its teaching programs to include additional courses on the Greek language and culture taught in English to attract international students.
