Stricter penalties for students for cheating, plagiarism & vandalism – Cases leading to permanent expulsion

Stricter penalties, choky deadlines, and zero tolerance for delays are introduced by the caller circular of the Greek Ministry of Education regarding pupil disciplinary actions astatine universities.

With a unified disciplinary council per instauration and a nexus to transgression law, the caller model aims to extremity longstanding phenomena of impunity and administrative negligence. Specifically, the main disciplinary offenses and their prescribed penalties are detailed.

The procedures and clip limits that indispensable beryllium observed. The relation and creation of the disciplinary council. The risks of delaying tactics by rectorial authorities, the work of students for repairing damages, and the measures universities indispensable instrumentality for the information and extortion of their infrastructure.

Disciplinary offenses and penalties – The “tier” of violations
According to the provisions of the Ministry of Education circular, the database of disciplinary offenses is wide and restrictive.

The categories are arsenic follows:

• Violation of exam integrity — i.e., cheating, usage of unauthorized aids, oregon interference undermining the integrity of exams.
• Plagiarism oregon concealment of others’ contributions (in probe enactment oregon assignments).
• Destruction of assemblage property — movable oregon immovable — i.e., damages, vandalism, causing harm.
• Obstruction of the creaseless cognition of the institution — affecting educational, administrative, oregon probe processes, canceling oregon obstructing work functions, corporate bodies, oregon usage of facilities successful a mode that disrupts operations.
• Use of spaces/facilities/equipment without permission — i.e., introduction oregon usage without approval.
• Use for incompatible purposes oregon facilitation for 3rd parties — i.e., utilizing infrastructure for activities unrelated to the university’s ngo oregon allowing 3rd parties to usage it for purposes extracurricular the assemblage framework.
• Pollution oregon sound pollution — disposal of garbage, amerciable waste, exceeding sound limits connected campus.
• Use of prohibited substances / publication to trafficking — i.e., amerciable substances wrong facilities oregon engagement successful their distribution.
• Committing a misdemeanor oregon felony wrong the instauration oregon assisting 3rd parties successful specified offenses.

The ineligible proviso ensures determination is nary wide “punishment mechanism” for vague offenses. Instead, the instrumentality sets limits to forestall subjective overinterpretation.

Disciplinary penalties, arsenic provided successful Article 198, are besides graduated with severity and escalation possibilities:

• Written reprimand
• Prohibition from participating successful exams
• Prohibition from utilizing facilities/equipment
• Suspension of pupil presumption (1 to 24 months)
• Permanent expulsion

In practice, for “lighter” offenses, specified arsenic usurpation of exam integrity oregon plagiarism, immoderate of the archetypal 4 penalties whitethorn beryllium applied depending connected severity.

However, for much superior offenses — specified arsenic spot destruction, obstruction of operations, substance use, oregon committing a felony — the instrumentality mandates, arsenic a minimum penalty, the suspension of pupil status, and imperishable expulsion whitethorn beryllium imposed – successful peculiar cases, it is obligatory.

Particularly important is that if transgression prosecution has been initiated and a last condemnation issued for offenses nether Article 168, paragraph 6 of the Penal Code (concerning transgression acts), past imperishable expulsion is mandatory — it is not simply an option. In different words, the instrumentality straight links disciplinary and transgression instrumentality successful these cases.

Finally, it is worthy noting that the anticipation of imposing “retroactive” penalties is limited: penalties not executed wrong 3 years aft imposition cease to use (the anticipation of enforcement is terminated).

Also, the suspension play is not counted toward maximum survey clip nor does it impact immoderate imaginable pupil suspension application.

It is emphasized that this model introduces some transparency and limitations, truthful that the process does not go a instrumentality for arbitrary punishment.

The process – Timelines and stages

A captious constituent of the caller regularisation is adherence to strict clip limits truthful that the disciplinary process does not bent indefinitely — which successful the past was a predominant constituent of contention and the origin of complaints astir delaying tactics by assemblage administrations.

Necessary steps

Initiation of disciplinary prosecution

• First, wrong 10 (10) days of the incident, the Department Chair oregon Dean (for single-department schools) indispensable initiate prosecution.
• If this deadline expires without action, different authorities (Rector oregon Deputy) may, wrong different 10 days, undertake the prosecution.
• Failure to enactment wrong the prescribed deadlines does not destruct the work to initiate prosecution but constitutes a disciplinary discourtesy for the liable enactment who delays.

Start of defense/investigation process

• The pupil is called successful penning to support themselves oregon is referred to the Disciplinary Council.
• A disciplinary probe is conducted (except successful cases wherever this is explicitly not required) and completed wrong 1 (1) month, with a imaginable hold of an further month.
• After the investigation, the pupil is called again for a hearing, with a tenable mentation clip of astatine slightest 5 (5) days.

Decision of the Disciplinary Council

• The process (from prosecution initiation to decision) indispensable beryllium completed wrong ninety (90) days.
• If necessary, 1 hold of sixty (60) days whitethorn beryllium granted by the competent disciplinary body.
• The determination is taken by elemental bulk of those present. If the verdict is simply a bulk guilty, the punishment is determined by voting among each present.
• The determination indispensable beryllium reasoned, referencing the existent facts, punishment appraisal criteria (severity, culpability, circumstances, information successful an organized plan, role), and the close to appeal.

Dispute – Legal remedies

• Except for a written reprimand, the pupil has the close to entreaty to the administrative tribunal of the university’s seat.
• Internal assemblage procedures (regulations, disciplinary committees) are taxable to legality review.

However, successful cases wherever disciplinary offenses represent felonies oregon misdemeanors, the disciplinary process is not automatically suspended owed to transgression proceedings, though the assembly whitethorn determine connected suspension with justification. Also, during suspension, the statute of limitations is paused.

Furthermore, successful cases of spot destruction, the disciplinary prosecution process coexists with harm appraisal procedures to guarantee that penalties are proportional and based connected ineligible and factual evidence.

The process ceases if the pupil loses their presumption (e.g., graduation, expulsion, etc.).

The disciplinary assembly – composition, operation, and captious remarks

One of the main innovations of the caller model is the unified enactment of a pupil disciplinary assembly per university, alternatively of idiosyncratic departmental committees arsenic was often the lawsuit successful the past.

Composition of the pupil disciplinary council:

• Rector (regular member)
• Responsible Vice-Rector (with deputy)
• Dean of the School (or, if unavailable, the astir elder module member)
• One module subordinate (Professor oregon Emeritus) with a deputy
• One pupil typical with a deputy

The word of each members is 2 world years, but the pupil representative, elected for 1 year. For archetypal implementation, a transitional process is foreseen.

Failure to elite the pupil typical oregon lawman does not invalidate the legality of the council’s creation — the assemblage whitethorn conscionable and marque decisions, but the predetermination process work remains.

It is worthy noting that transitioning to a unified assemblage reduces fragmentation and apt delays astatine the departmental level, but requires beardown administrative enactment and wide protocols.

Annual reporting, transparency, and work of decisions present interior nationalist oversight mechanisms. The assemblage does not run “forever successful the dark.”

Holding individuals accountable (e.g., disciplinary work of officials) successful cases of missed deadlines oregon procedural delays signals an effort to forestall “delaying tactics.”

Active information of students arsenic representatives remains important truthful that the process is not constricted to administrative levels but includes the community’s voice.

Daily cognition of the assembly requires wide protocols, information verification, transparency successful meetings, and records to forestall it from becoming a “black box” of unchecked decisions.

Risks of delaying tactics – What the caller instrumentality prevents

One antagonistic improvement successful the past was the “hostage” of pupil cases: delays successful prosecution, dilatory timelines, postponements, delaying appeals, oregon “scandalously vague” decisions that created a consciousness that the disciplinary process did not relation arsenic an accountability instrumentality but arsenic a bureaucratic obstacle.

The caller instrumentality seeks to code this hazard with:

• Strict deadlines: prosecution wrong 10 days, process completion wrong 90 days (with 1 60-day extension) prevents intentional delays.
• Disciplinary work of competent authorities: if the medication oregon Rector does not promptly signifier the disciplinary assembly oregon contented the notice, work is established.
• Obligation of reporting: nationalist (even anonymized) work of cases and decisions automatically subjects medication to assemblage oversight.
• Monitoring via platform: a peculiar Ministry level volition let delays and deviations successful lawsuit advancement to beryllium identified.
• Right to ineligible remedies: the quality to entreaty earlier an administrative tribunal ensures decisions are not indisputable.

However, applicable implementation volition uncover whether rectorial authorities adhere to deadlines oregon effort to “stall” cases with administrative obstacles. For example: failing to promptly signifier the disciplinary council, delaying hearings oregon investigations citing workload oregon staffing shortages, failing to instrumentality harm appraisal successful demolition cases, oregon failing to contented reasoned decisions, leaving matters pending longer.

In specified cases, accountability and judicial reappraisal are indispensable oversight tools.

Student work for damages – Restoration and transparency

A peculiarly captious facet of the caller regularisation is merging the disciplinary process with the harm appraisal process successful cases of spot destruction.

The logic is twofold: the pupil must, beyond the penalty, presume worldly work for repairing the harm caused — either done restoration oregon fiscal compensation. The imposed punishment indispensable beryllium proportional to the harm and collected evidence. The university’s Security/Protection Unit (or equivalent body) indispensable supply a documented harm appraisal truthful that punishment imposition is not based connected subjective judgments oregon exaggerations.

By adhering to the above, the thought is reinforced that subject is not simply punishment, but extortion of a nationalist bully — assemblage infrastructure belongs to everyone. Damage repair should beryllium viewed arsenic an constituent of justness toward the community.

Simultaneously, universities are obliged to instrumentality preventive information measures to support infrastructure (surveillance systems, cameras, security, alarm systems) to trim opportunities for damage. If an instauration does not adequately guarantee installation security, it cannot spot afloat work connected students for each damage. The existent “challenge” for institutions is to found reliable information and worldly extortion plans, with a deadline of the extremity of December 2025.

Protection of pupil rights – Balance with discipline

The caller model is not authoritarian but includes safeguards for students truthful that disciplinary procedures are not utilized coercively:

• Students person the close to a hearing, written notice, and tenable mentation clip (at slightest 5 days).
• Decisions indispensable beryllium reasoned, documenting existent facts and the rationale for penalties.
• Right to entreaty to administrative tribunal for decisions beyond written reprimand.
• The instrumentality applies principles of transgression law/procedural rights (where compatible with the quality of disciplinary proceedings), specified arsenic legality, proportionality, presumption of innocence, hearing, and close of defense.
• The rule of retroactivity of the much favorable instrumentality applies: if a caller regularisation benefits the student, it is applied.

Thus, subject cannot go an arbitrary tool. The instrumentality attempts to acceptable “brakes” — but these lone enactment if organization procedures are open, controlled, and transparent.

Preliminary suggestions for universities

For the caller model to relation arsenic an progressive disciplinary mechanics with rational and just character, universities indispensable instrumentality the pursuing measures:

Informing the world community

• Announce and disseminate the circular, acquisition seminars, integration into pupil regulations
• Ensure each pupil knows the disciplinary offenses and consequences

Revision of interior regulations

• Compatibility with the caller law, visibility of procedures, integration of explicit terms
• Abolish oregon accommodate provisions contradicting the circular

Organization of the disciplinary structure

• Staffing the Security/Protection Unit with unit susceptible of signaling damages, photos, evidence
• Creating a disciplinary lawsuit archive (certified, timestamped)
• Supporting the disciplinary assembly (secretarial support, ineligible documentation)

Transparency and oversight mechanisms

• Preparing the yearly study and publishing anonymized
• Cooperation with the Ministry’s monitoring platform
• Publication of cardinal indicators (case completion times, condemnation rates, types of penalties)

Preventive information measures

• Installing cameras, alarms, security
• Fencing oregon controlled entree to captious infrastructure
• Regular attraction inspections to trim hazard of damage
• Training students/staff to respect buildings, infrastructure, and worldly resources

Crisis absorption strategy and mediation

• Developing mechanisms for archetypal probe and mediation earlier disciplinary proceedings
• Warning files and opportunities for corrective behavior

Prospects

The caller circular — and the legislative model it clarifies — correspond a important milestone for pupil disciplinary instrumentality astatine universities. When mentation is translated into practice, it volition go wide whether commitments to speed, transparency, accountability, and proportionality relation arsenic a counterbalance to inertia oregon arbitrariness.

According to Ministry of Education sources, the cardinal factors for occurrence are the bully religion and consistency of rectors and administrations, capable staffing and enactment of the disciplinary mechanism, progressive information and monitoring by the pupil community, and transparent cognition of oversight and ineligible mechanisms.

If each functions properly, the caller strategy tin heighten spot successful assemblage justness — i.e., that “no 1 is supra the law, but besides that nary 1 volition beryllium punished unfairly,” arsenic highlighted.

Conversely, delaying tactics oregon administrative negligence could undermine the goal: the model establishes tools, but the existent situation is implementation. This virtually depends connected however universities and students enactment successful the coming period.