West Achaia municipality seeks university admission aid for fire-affected students

The Municipality of West Achaia has issued a formal request to the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports for an immediate amendment to a ministerial decision regarding university admissions. The local authorities are protesting the exclusion of students from West Achaia from a special admission quota intended for regions affected by natural disasters.

While the ministry's decision includes students from fire-affected areas within the Municipality of Patras, West Achaia was omitted despite suffering severe damage during the major wildfire on August 12, 2025. The region also faced significant livestock losses due to hailstorms and remains under a state of civil protection emergency.

Local officials, including Mayor Grigoris Alexopoulos and Vice Regional Governor Phokion Zaimis, noted that requests for this inclusion were submitted as early as December 2025. The municipality highlights that the ministry's own decision documentation acknowledges previous correspondence regarding the specific needs of the area, yet the students were ultimately left out of the final regulation.