Unaffordable rents for students: Complaint for renting in the occupied areas

Unaffordable rents prevent students from accepting positions they have secured, while there are also cases where students rent rooms in the occupied to be able to study in Nicosia, as was reported before the Parliamentary Committee on Education during the briefing of the Committee by the rectors of the three public universities on the start of the academic year.

In statements after the end of the Committee's session, the Chairman of the Education Committee of the Parliament, Pavlos Mylonas, said that as far as universities are concerned, they had two or three issues.

"First of all, it concerns the male students, who would go to Greece - the registrations were until September 19 - as the Ministry of Education has now officially informed us, the Minister proceeded to a consultation with the Deputy Minister of Education of Greece, and an extension will be given for the registrations them", he said.

He added that the universities of Cyprus have informed us that they will proceed with the XNUMXnd and XNUMXrd distribution.

"There is an issue raised by my colleague Chrysanthos Savvidis about the male students who at TEPAK, there is a possibility of losing their position. I consider it unacceptable and we will solve it if TEPAK is the solution. We oblige our children to serve the country and they risk losing the position they received the year before", he added.

He also noted that "it became a serious allegation offensive to all of us."

"Too many student children stop their studies due to financial problems or even worse - also offensive in my opinion - they are forced to rent in occupied cheap apartments. They didn't give us numbers, but they are enough", he added.

AKEL Member of Parliament Christos Christofias, in his statements, said that measures are needed to solve the student housing problem.

“We have persistently and prominently stated the huge problem that exists right now in public higher education, which is none other than housing. Students have been forced to turn down the place they have won for admission to a public university because they cannot afford the exorbitant housing costs. We consider that this is unacceptable in a modern society and the Government cannot watch this situation idly", he added.

He also mentioned that they demanded the Ministry of Education to consider the possibility of increasing the rent allowance for those in need so that they can support themselves to study in our country.

"We asked the authorities of the University of Cyprus and TEPAK to speed up, as much as possible, the procedures for building new residences," he said. He wished "a good and productive year to the university men and women students in the difficult task they have in front of them in another academic year to make university education white-faced in our country which this year celebrates - 30 years of the University of Cyprus, 20 years of the Open University and 15 years at TEPAK. We wish them a thousand."

The Member of Parliament of DIPA - Cooperation, Alekos Tryfonidis, said in his statements that regarding Academic Education and University issues, "we support their internationalization, as this will help to increase jobs and the local economy".

"Here there is a huge issue with the rents that students are asked to pay, it is tragic to see students not accepting the places they have secured because they cannot pay the unaffordable rent or even cases where students rent rooms in the occupied so that they can to study in Nicosia", he said.

He added that "it is a shame for our state, for all of us, we asked the chancellors of the Universities to speed up the construction of the student residences, the first phase at TEPAK and the second phase at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia".

"We are ready to support them with whatever facility they want to help students because some are asking for double and triple rent prices as a result of what I mentioned earlier," he concluded.

KYPE