Athens, Feb 1 (AP) Police and student protesters clashed in the centre of the Greek capital on Thursday after a demonstration against government plans to allow privately run universities.

Demonstrators in Athens attacked police cordons, set fire to trash dumpsters and threw stones at riot police near parliament and later during clashes along the capital's narrow streets.

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Police responded with tear gas and made several arrests.

The centre-right government wants to legalise privately run universities in a bill due to go before parliament this month, arguing that the reform would prevent skilled people from leaving the country and make higher education more relevant to the labour market.

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But the plan has sparked several protests, including an ongoing campaign to occupy university buildings in protest, which has disrupted classes and forced some academic authorities to reschedule upcoming exams.

Opponents of the reforms argue that the changes would undermine state universities and ultimately limit access to higher education for people from low-income families. Protests were held Thursday in several Greek cities and more were planned for next week. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)