Their disagreements with the offer of foreign language undergraduate programs from the University of Cyprus (PK) and the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK) were expressed by Members of the Parliamentary Education Committee, who on Wednesday continued to discuss the regulations of other regulations.
In his statements after the end of the Commission's session, its chairman, DIKO MP Pavlos Mylonas, said that the next meeting of the Commission would discuss AKEL's law, which provides for the free offer of foreign language undergraduate programs to Cypriot and European citizens.
Mr Mylonas expressed the intention of leading the legislation to the plenary before the summer holidays, adding that otherwise the debate would continue in September. "It's very thin, there are very intense views of all political forces, but we have come to an end," he added.
DISY MP George Karlas said that some insurance figures should be put in place, such as ensuring the number of positions in undergraduate programs offered in the languages of democracy and providing a program in both a foreign language and a language of democracy. "The debate must finally end so we can move on," he noted.
For his part, AKEL MP Christos Christofides referred to the AKEL law proposal to create foreign language programs on public universities without imposing tuition on Cypriot and European citizens. In contrast, he added, two categories of students (Cypriot students who will pay tuition and Cypriot students who will not pay tuition) will be created and the quality of Greek -language programs will be downgraded.
Mr Christofides also said that the Ministry of Education tabled two amendments to the Parliamentary Education Committee on Wednesday, disagreeing with public universities and which - as he said - "are immediate intervention in autonomy and academic freedom".
Independent MP Andreas Themistokleous said that the needs of foreign students studying in Cyprus are covered by 150 Greek -language and 270 foreign language programs offering the 14 private universities in Cyprus. He added that most foreign students coming to Cyprus are Greeks, who will return to Greece with the establishment of private universities in the country.
If an English -language programs are created in the PK and TEPAK, "this will lead to the future" Greek -language programs of the public university of Cyprus in complete weakening and final degeneration, "said Themistokleous. "If this legislation passes, the owners of the English language private schools will wave it to the customers," he said, adding that "the public school will be seriously undermined by this legislation."
The Rector of the University of Cyprus, Tasos Christofides, said that "it is time to move forward, to give public universities the right to keep up with the rest of Europe's universities". "I do not understand why the public school is underway by the foreign language programs of the Cypriot universities and is not underlined by the foreign language programs of the Greek universities," he said, referring to "phobias and anchors".
"Under no circumstances do we want to limit the number of Greek -language programs or the number of students. At the same time, however, we cannot be locked up and not offer foreign language programs, "the PK Rector said," he said.
