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It is with great pleasure that I participate in today's ceremony for the naming of the building of the Rector's Office of the CUT and the laying of the foundation stone of the Laboratory Building of the Department of Fine Arts.
Before any other mention, I would like to wish everyone a happy and creative year. A year that will mark even more successes for the Cyprus University of Technology and all of you who contribute to its renowned operation.
Today is a special moment for the Cyprus University of Technology, the emblematic institution of higher education in Limassol. Your decision to associate the name of Christodoulos Sozos with the building of the Rectorate of the University is, first and foremost, an honour for all of you and you are worthy of congratulations, while it is also a minimum recognition of the multi-level contribution of the late Mayor to his beloved city and the country at large.
An inspired leader and a true patriot, Christodoulos Sozos recognized and proved through his actions the importance and significance of the value of freedom, setting it as a beacon of his own course. And it was exactly in this context that with the outbreak of the Balkan Wars, and while he was the active Mayor of Limassol, he chose to go to Greece and join the Greek army as a volunteer. In fact, despite the offer he received from Eleftherios Venizelos to take an honorary position on his staff in Athens, he chose to join the infantry and fight on the front line, heroically losing his life in the Battle of Bizanios for the liberation of Ioannina on 6 December 1912.
Equally important in practice was the dedication he demonstrated and the initiatives he undertook, contributing to the beneficial development of education and society in our country, and that is why your decision to name the building of the Rectorate after him has a special, special significance.
His name, the principles and values with which he lived his life, among others, will be a shining example for the student and academic community, but also for all those associated with the Cyprus University of Technology.
An academic institution which, as shown through its work, its great achievements, its high rankings in international university ranking lists, but also through its participation in European university networks, continues to expand, grow and evolve.
It is precisely in this effort to further develop and improve the University that the construction of the Laboratory Building of the Department of Fine Arts of the CUT is part of this effort.
The new building will provide sufficient space for teaching and research in subjects such as visual arts, architecture, photography and sculpture. Furthermore, students will have access to modern equipment and technology that will allow them to further develop their skills, listening to the developments and demands of a rapidly evolving society based on green and digital development, which is the future and a bet that must be won by all of us.
With my presence here tonight, I would like to underline, as an extremely important fact, that the CUT has, since the first day of its operation, a well-established course, which is in line with the progress of the local and international society.
A course which honours the Council, the Rectorial Authorities, the Senate, the academic and administrative staff of the University, the students, and our country as a whole. A course of which we are justifiably proud.
And it is in this context that as a State we support the efforts for its further development and we consider the expansion of the University outside Limassol with the establishment of the School of Tourism Management, Hospitality and Entrepreneurship in Paphos - we recently had the opportunity to inaugurate the modern building there - as well as the start of work on the construction of student residences and other projects in the "Berengaria" area in Kato Polemidia.
At the same time we are in dialogue, an internal study is being carried out to implement our decision to expand the University in Larnaca and we hope in 2024 to start implementing this decision.
I would like to stress that the effective support of all our public and private university institutions is our strategic goal. As a Government we are investing in quality education and in the short term we will also publish - by May at the latest - our Strategy for Higher Education which is currently under consultation. We have very recently had a meeting on this in the presence of the Ministers of Education, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Interior and Labour.
The orientation of a state towards Education and young people - I have mentioned many times that Education and Health for us are the most important priorities - is the most essential investment for the prosperity of the country and that is precisely why we have set the "People" pillar as a key component of our Education programme, aiming at a "people-centred education and promotion of culture for the citizens of tomorrow".
As I have just mentioned, realizing the multifaceted dimension of Higher Education, we have included the action "Integrated Strategy for the Reorganization and Improvement of Higher Education" among the flagship actions of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth's Action Plan for 2024.
There too, important reforms will have to be made that will also address the issue of the English language - we must finally move forward with this issue if we want our universities to develop, because it is important to attract students from abroad, taking into account the competition in general.
At the same time, we have set specific objectives - and here they touch on another major reform - to ensure the quality of higher education in Cyprus, to link higher education with the labour market, where CUT has an important role to play, as well as to promote our university education as a quality and attractive international academic destination. And it is here that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is involved
I am confident that the new building will make a key contribution to the development of the Department of Fine Arts and will enable students in the field to create innovative projects in their field. At the same time, I am absolutely convinced that it will be, among many other things, an "ark" of knowledge, learning and creation.
It is for these reasons that, while congratulating all those involved in promoting the project and of course the previous Government, I call on them to work with the same zeal so that (the new building) will soon be ready to welcome academics and students.
Rest assured that, as we have been doing from the very first moment we took office, we will continue to support every effort and initiative of the Cyprus University of Technology. We are here to consider any actions and initiatives that contribute to the further substantial development of the University.
(PM/NZ/AF)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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