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- Ελληνικά
It is with great pleasure that I participate in today's event for the laying of the Foundation Stone of the privately owned student residences of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), in the area of the former settlement "Berengaria", here in the very hospitable municipality of Kato Polemidia.
From the time I was a diplomat I remember very well the negotiations with the British to get this area back. Very difficult negotiations. In the end we succeeded and I am glad that today we are using this area, in the first instance, for our young people, for the young generation, for education, for the TEPAK, of which we are proud of its long-standing action and you can be sure that we are here to work, to strengthen your actions even more.
My presence here, together with the Minister of Justice and the Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs, is, I believe, a practical demonstration of the Government's keen interest in further upgrading higher education in our country. Higher education is one of the seven sectors in which we want to invest the most. We believe that it can significantly enhance the economic prospects of our country and beyond. This interest is expressed in various ways, not just in declarations, not just in words, but through actions, through the support provided for building development, ensuring modern technological equipment and meeting the staffing needs of our country's higher education institutions.
The construction of the student halls of the CUT has been a long-standing goal of the State - and I am referring to the previous Governments, which played an important role in getting us here today - of the University Council, current and former, the Rectorial Authorities, the academic community, the students in our universities. Considering the lack of affordable housing and the ever-increasing number of students, the need to build student halls of residence, especially in Limassol, became more and more urgent year by year.
In this context, the coordinated efforts of the University, in cooperation with the competent governmental bodies, especially with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the Ministry of Finance - and here I would like to salute the important work that was done under the previous government - contributed to the start of the implementation of this very important project. Of decisive importance - and it is such projects that we want to promote - was the loan that was secured from the European Investment Bank, through which the project will be financed to the tune of around 50%, with the remainder being covered by the state budget. The total amount to be spent until the completion of the project in April 2027 at the latest, with the creation of a total of 500 beds for students of the University - and congratulations to the architect for the excellent work he has done - is expected to exceed 67 million euros.
We can all understand the importance and value of the project, the comparative advantages it now offers to the CUT, which will be able to increase the options for students to stay in more student residences.
At the same time, the management of the halls of residence by the University itself ensures that the real needs of its students are met - because you clearly know more about the needs of the students - by providing not only an affordable accommodation suitable for a safe, peaceful and constructive student life, but at the same time the halls of residence enhance socialisation and networking among students and provide centralised facilities such as computer rooms,
Today's modest ceremony is a testament to the dynamic course of the CUT and the recognition it has received in recent years, managing to deservedly establish itself as a renowned institution in the field of higher education in Cyprus and beyond. I have been in the Presidency of the Republic since March 2023 and I do not remember how many events of CTEPAK I have attended during this short period of time, six or seven, and I am sure that there will be many more, based on the plans, based on our, the State's, response to your requests.
With seven different faculties, dozens of programmes of study at all levels and thousands of students and graduates, the University has a record of considerable success both in the field of research and academic excellence and in that of community service. And for me it is no coincidence that it is already highly ranked in prestigious world-renowned ranking lists, and from 2020 it will be a full member of the European University Networks.
These are very important achievements, taking into account the time of operation of TEPAK, both for the University itself and for our country. Achievements that strengthen our own efforts to make Cyprus an international and regional centre of quality higher education. In the context of this effort, we are proceeding, after consultation with all stakeholders, with the next steps in order to further upgrade higher education in our country, through the improvement of quality, internationalization, modernization and interconnection with the labour market - this is an issue of particular concern to us and the CTEPAK, especially in this area can offer solutions for the interconnection of the economy of our country with education - as well as by increasing the number of grants provided. The completion of the consultation will help to improve the relevant legislation on which we will build to achieve our objectives, a strategy which will be announced in May by the Minister of Education. A strategy, which has been prepared with the input of the Ministries of Education, Finance, Interior, Labour and Foreign Affairs.
The facilities of the Cyprus University of Technology's privately owned halls of residence, the foundation stone of which we are laying today, are expected to contribute significantly to the further development of the University and enable students to achieve their goals and successfully complete their studies. They are also expected to be a place of creation, socialisation, exchange of ideas and experiences - all of which the architect has taken into account when designing the halls of residence - where the students of the University will not just stay in the halls of residence, but will enrich their educational experience and build friendships that will last forever.
I would like, once again, to congratulate those who have played an important role in the launch of this great project and to assure you that as a State we will be by your side in every initiative, both of the Cyprus University of Technology and the other institutions of higher education in our country, because it is one of the areas that we want to develop much more. There are huge potentials in our country.
Being in the very hospitable municipality of Kato Polemidia, may I mention to the Mayor that your request is positively opposed, to grant the area under the motorway for the Cyprus Technical University of Cyprus.
(PM/NYAN/EATH)
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