The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Greece, Mrs Anna Barbarzak and the Head of the Cultural Section of the Embassy, Mrs Justyna Slowik, were welcomed at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens by the Rector Professor M.-A. Dimopoulos on Wednesday, October 3, 2018.
The Rector briefly presented the history of the University and the fields of study offered by the Schools and Departments. He then stressed on the fact that Polish language is among the 25 languages offered at the Foreign Languages Teaching Center of the University. Professor Dimopoulos also pointed out that faculty and researchers of the NKUA have collaborated with their counterparts at Polish Universities, the Statistics Poland (GUS) and other Institutes of the country in the framework of European research projects.
The discussion then focused on current co-operation agreements between the NKUA and Polish Institutions, in particular through the ERASMUS+ program, as well as on co-operation prospects for the promotion of teaching of Polish language at the NKUA.
The Ambassador was impressed by statistics of students' mobility since, the last five-year period, 128 students of the NKUA studied at Polish Universities, while 46 Polish students selected the NKUA for their studies through the ERASMUS+ program. It was also emphasized that the NKUA has 25 active bilateral agreements with 17 of the most prestigious Universities of Poland. Except from the Erasmus students' mobility, it is notable that 248 Polish students/teachers have attended the University's "Summer Course in Modern Greek Studies" since 1988.
Mrs Barbarzak expressed her willingness for further upgrading and strengthening of Polish language teaching, possibly within the Department of Russian Language and Literature and Slavic Studies. She also welcomed the prospect of the intensification of Polish language courses at the Foreign Language Teaching Center, probably also by providing scholarships for those willing to attend such courses.
Finally, the Ambassador proposed the organization of an event under the ERASMUS+ program for the acquaintance of the students of the NKUA with Polish Universities offering English-language curricula.
