 This measure helped save failing low-ranking institutions such as the TEI of Western Macedonia in her former constituency, as it enabled them to broaden recruitment by admitting students from the lowest percentiles of the nationwide examination rankings.In response to criticism that her policy was diluting academic standards for populist purposes, Diamantopoulou replied that 'in the past, failed applicants would go to private [tertiary] institutions and abroad' anyway.Diamantopoulou declares herself a firm believer in Greece's ability to join the frontrunning countries in the knowledge economy by 2020.