[PIO] Address by the President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Christodoulides at the Graduation Ceremony of the School of Business Administration of the

It is with great pleasure that I participate in this evening's Graduation Ceremony of the students of the School of Business Administration of the University of Nicosia. My presence here, on behalf of the State, is a mark of honour, both to our students who will receive the coveted degree tonight, and in recognition of the very important work done by the University of Nicosia and in particular the School of Business Administration. Since its inception, and this is no exaggeration, and I am not just saying this because I am here tonight, the University has associated its name with quality education, innovation and extroversion. Driven by academic excellence, the University of Nicosia has achieved a position among the best universities internationally, according to the most prestigious international rankings of Higher Education Institutions. By applying modern student-centred educational methods and incorporating, and here is one of the originality of your University, digital technologies in the learning process, it has succeeded in equipping all students with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in today's highly competitive labour market environment, not only in Cyprus, but also internationally. The University of Nicosia has also done significant work in the field of internationalisation, which is a key pillar of our approach to the future of higher education in Cyprus and I will go on to outline our approach and how we will move forward on this issue. [IN THIS CONTEXT, YOUR UNIVERSITY HAS RECENTLY SECURED A PLACE IN THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE NEOLAIA, IN WHICH NINE UNIVERSITIES PARTICIPATE, WITH THE COMMON GOAL OF PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY CROSS-BORDER STUDY PROGRAMMES. THE UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE ALSO ATTACHES PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO LINKING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION TO SOCIO-ECONOMIC REALITY, HENCE IT WORKS CLOSELY WITH PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND SOCIAL PARTNERS TO HARMONISE AND KEEP PACE WITH THE NEEDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET, AND CONSEQUENTLY TO ADAPT AND ENRICH THE CONTENT OF ITS CURRICULA TO THESE NEEDS. AND I BELIEVE, SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA, THE PROOF IS THE POPULAR PROGRAMMES OF THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING THE MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND THE POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN THE FIELD OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES, WHICH ARE AN INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA, AS WELL AS THE RELEVANT NEEDS OF THE MARKET. BEING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA TODAY, I COULD NOT FAIL TO MENTION THE MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES AND THE UNIVERSITY'S ACTIVE MULTICULTURAL STUDENT COMMUNITY WHICH, AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS, CONTRIBUTE TO STIMULATING AND SHAPING THE DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE IN THE CITY OF NICOSIA. AND WE SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SURROUNDING AREA AROUND THE UNIVERSITY. FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL, THE SENATE, THE ACADEMICS, THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND OF COURSE ALL OF YOU, THE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA, FOR YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE. THE STATE, BEING FULLY AWARE OF THE GREAT IMPORTANCE THAT QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION HAS FOR OUR COUNTRY, IS CONSTANTLY TAKING TARGETED MEASURES, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF TURNING OUR COUNTRY INTO A QUALITY, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL, EDUCATIONAL CENTRE - I AM REFERRING TO QUALITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE RECENTLY SEEN A TREND IN OUR COUNTRY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW UNIVERSITIES AND WE MUST BE PARTICULARLY CAREFUL AS A STATE, BECAUSE THE KEY TO BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP AND EMERGE AS A RELIABLE EDUCATIONAL CENTRE IS TO HAVE A HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION SYSTEM. AND ONE DIMENSION IS THE QUALITY OF THE PROGRAMMES OFFERED, WHICH AS THE NEW GOVERNMENT WE ARE PAYING PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO, SO AS TO AVOID THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING MANY UNIVERSITIES IN OUR COUNTRY THAT WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY FOR-PROFIT, DEGRADING THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICES OFFERED. THIS WILL NOT LEAD US TO WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE, WHICH IS TO BECOME A REGIONAL CENTRE OF EDUCATION, AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT EXISTING UNIVERSITIES THAT OFFER QUALITY STUDIES WILL ALSO SUFFER. THE GOAL, THEREFORE, IS TO TURN OUR COUNTRY INTO A QUALITY AND UPGRADED EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE AND VERY SOON, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH YOU, ALL THE RELEVANT MINISTERS, NAMELY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND THE MINISTERS OF INTERIOR, LABOUR, AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF A WORKING PAPER THAT WE HAVE PREPARED IN THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC, WHERE PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IS GIVEN TO ENSURING THAT THE QUALITY OF HIGHER EDUCATION IS ENHANCED EVEN FURTHER, GIVING MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS COMING HERE. DEAR GRADUATES, WE ARE ALL HERE TONIGHT FOR YOU. THE PLATFORM OF SPEECH GIVEN TO ME ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT DAY IN YOUR LIVES IS A SPECIAL HONOUR FOR ME. TONIGHT IS BOTH SPECIAL AND SPECIAL EMOTIONALLY, AS IT MARKS THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF YOUR COURSE OF STUDY AND AT THE SAME TIME EVOKES STRONG EMOTIONS, A FEELING OF JOYFULNESS, AS IS THE CASE WITH EVERY COMPLETION OF A CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES. AT THE SAME TIME, THE NEW BEGINNING THAT IS MARKED AFTER EACH ENDING SPREADS THE ATMOSPHERE OF ENTHUSIASM FOR THE NEW CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO COME. YOU ARE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES AT A CHALLENGING TIME, AT A TIME WHEN THE NEED TO LEARN IS CONSTANT AND LIFELONG LEARNING IS BECOMING PART OF TODAY'S EVERYDAY REALITY. PLAN YOUR FUTURE WITH DRIVE AND INSIGHT, DARE TO INVEST YOUR TIME AND INTEREST IN NEW, GROWING FIELDS, AND REALISE YOUR POTENTIAL. WITH SYSTEMATIC WORK, THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THROUGH METHODICAL WORK, ADAPTABILITY, PERSEVERANCE AND BELIEF IN YOURSELF, YOU ARE SURE TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. ABOVE ALL, HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO DARE TO DREAM! BECAUSE DREAMS DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OBJECTIVE DIFFICULTIES, DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OBSTACLES AND SET THE LIMIT OF OUR GOALS TO THE INSURMOUNTABLE. DO NOT LET ANY TEMPORARY DIFFICULTIES, BECAUSE THERE WILL SURELY BE DIFFICULTIES AND PROBLEMS, TAKE YOU AWAY FROM YOUR DREAMS AND DO NOT LET OTHERS DETERMINE YOUR OWN FUTURE. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT DREAMS TO BE BORN NEED FERTILE LAND THAT ONLY FAITH, PERSEVERANCE AND PATIENCE CAN CREATE. CONTINUE TO WATER YOUR DREAMS WITH PATIENCE AND TENACITY. DON'T STOP SPREADING YOUR ROOTS DEEP, BUILDING THE STRONG FOUNDATIONS NEEDED TO REACH HIGH. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THE GREATEST AND MOST MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENT WILL BE TO REMAIN, ALL OF US THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES, PEOPLE OF EDUCATION, MORALITY AND LOVE FOR LIFE AND OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. BEFORE I CLOSE, ALLOW ME, AND I COULD NOT OTHERWISE, NOT TO MENTION YOUR PARENTS AND FAMILY, THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THIS ENTIRE JOURNEY WHO HAVE SUPPORTED YOU AND WITHOUT WHOM YOUR JOURNEY TO ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE, AND THAT IS WHY THEY ARE HERE TONIGHT, PROUD TO SHARE WITH YOU THE JOY OF YOUR SUCCESS. SO AGAIN, I WARMLY CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR GRADUATION AND WISH YOU EVERY SUCCESS IN THE NEW STAGE OF YOUR LIFE.

(RM/NG)
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