A resolution with three thousand signatures of students of the Universities of Nicosia, Frederick and European, was presented on Friday morning, by the Coordinator of the Student Associations of the three Universities, to the Minister of Education and Culture, George Demosthenes, expressing the opposition of students to the increase of tuition fees in private Universities; In his statements, after receiving the resolution, the Minister of Education stated that today a letter will be sent to the presidents of the Councils of the three Universities, urging them to keep the tuition fees at the same levels as last year. The minister will invite the Presidents of the Councils of the three Universities to attend a joint meeting next week to discuss the issue.
"After a thorough analysis of the data and the relevant legislation, as it was initially formulated and amended in 2010, and after the opinion of the Attorney General, a letter was prepared to the three universities requesting that the tuition fees be kept at the same level as last year. academic year, according to their approved tuition ".
According to Mr. Demosthenous, the opinion of the General Prosecutor's Office "was clear". As he explained, "the approved tuition is until the academic year 2010-2011, and since the relevant legislation was amended, in 2010, according to which the Minister by decree sets a ceiling for the maximum increase of private university tuition, and if such application was not submitted to the Ministry of Education, as provided by law, this means that tuition fees should not exceed those approved last academic year ".
The Minister of Education clarified that there is no question of illegal and arbitrary increase of tuition fees but of a different interpretation of the law. "We had legislation that was amended. It was given and was given, a different interpretation εγ whether the approved tuition fees were until 2010-2011 or until 2011-2012 "clarified Mr. Demosthenous. "There is no question of arbitrariness and deliberate, illegal increase of tuition fees. "It was a different interpretation and from the moment the Attorney General ruled, I call on them to comply with the instruction I am sending them with this letter," he said.
"As I explained to the student representatives, everything will go according to the law," he suggested.
The president of the student union of Frederick University, Antonis Zachariou, stated that the students demand immediate application of the law, by the owners of the Universities, not excluding the possibility of mass mobilizations of the students, otherwise. "We give them six days to answer us to enforce the law, otherwise we will move in other ways, maybe mass mobilizations," he said.
The Coordinator of the student associations of the three private Universities delivered the resolution today to the owners of the Universities themselves, to the Education Committee of the Parliament, to the Evaluation Committee of Private Universities and to the General Prosecutor's Office.
The representatives of the student associations of the private universities conveyed the opposition of the student movement of the private universities to the increase of the tuition fees and to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Education, Nikos Tornaritis, handing over the resolution to him.
Nikos Tornaritis stated after the meeting that in a period of economic crisis, when the targeting of student sponsorship is being discussed, "we must all act more human-centered", but also "under the grid of legality".
He said the state should give private universities positive incentives "so that they, in turn, can reduce tuition fees further." The state can grant private land to private universities, while "we can also discuss tax exemptions, if possible," he added.
On the other hand, he continued, "university owners, listening to the appeals of all political forces, but also of society itself, must place tuition at a level where families can continue to send their children to study." .
According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, next Tuesday the Committee will deal diligently with the issue of increasing the tuition fees of private universities, with the Minister of Education, the owners of the Universities, the students and other officials invited.
Source: KYPE