President stresses quality in Cyprus' transformation into an educational hub

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has stressed the importance of focusing on quality in higher education and in transforming Cyprus into a quality educational centre, while announcing upcoming actions to achieve that goal.

He also highlighted the need to be cautious about the establishment of profit-driven universities that may compromise the quality of education.

In his address at a graduation ceremony at Frederick University in Limassol, on 27 June the President said that the state was continuously taking targeted measures with the ultimate goal of transforming the country into a quality educational centre, having a full awareness of the great importance of quality higher education for the country.

Speaking about the need to aim for "quality," he pointed out that there is a constant trend towards the establishment of new universities, and as a state, “we must be particularly cautious because the key to becoming a regional education centre lies in the quality of the education we offer in Cyprus.”

"It is something to which we, as the new government, attach great importance to, so that any actions that lead to the establishment of universities in our country are not exclusively profit-driven, thereby compromising the quality of the education provided," he added.

The goal, therefore, he continued, is to transform our country into a quality and upgraded regional and international Centre for Education and Research. He emphasised the importance placed on ensuring and improving the quality of higher education through the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency for Higher Education, based on European and international standards and specifications, as well as policies adopted by the Ministry of Education, to promote quality in higher education. The President said that further actions will be announced in the immediate future to achieve this goal.

The President furthermore said that the new government aims at the development of both public and private universities in the country, the support and promotion of higher education in Cyprus, as well as the promotion of research, innovation, and the connection of education, in general, with the needs of society and the labour market.

(Source: CNA)