The Committee of the Independent Agency for Social Support (IAS) informs the public that the submission of applications for financial sponsorship for the academic year 2024-2025 will begin on October 17, 2024 and will last for one month (closing date: November 17, 2024).
The financial support concerns the payment of part of the student's tuition or rent, and is made directly to the educational institutions (for tuition) and to the owners of the properties (for rent).
In exceptional cases, financial aid is given based on the Commission's recommendation.
The application should be submitted electronically through website of AFKS and be accompanied by all the necessary certificates. Incomplete applications will be rejected.
In an event organized tonight, October 16, at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of sponsors and friends of the Independent Social Support Agency, the First Lady Filippa Karsera-Christodoulidis and President of the Independent Social Support Agency noted that the goal is for AFKS to remain a strengthened fund, using resources from natural persons or companies, in the context of their social corporate responsibility, always for the benefit of children and our society, especially those who come from families facing serious social and economic problems.
Basic Law 156(I) of 2014 clearly defines that the Agency's resources may come from donations or contributions from a person or any other legal source. The procedure under this Law remains simple and transparent. The Treasurer is the Accountant General and all deposits are made by name at the Central Bank, and are controlled by the Auditor General.
Last year's very encouraging grant increase made it possible for almost a thousand students, mostly from families at risk of poverty, single parents, large families, families with orphans, orphans or children under the guardianship of the state, to continue and to complete their studies in Cyprus or abroad.
On the occasion, the First Lady warmly thanked the dozens of sponsors of the Independent Body for their trust and support in the sacred cause of equal access to education, which, among other things, is a social investment.
He emphasized that the hard work continues unabated, always respecting the laws and regulations, with transparency and accountability. The primary concern of AFKS is that all young people in Cyprus have equal access to higher and higher education and that their future is not adversely affected by the socio-economic situation of their family.
The President of the Independent Social Support Agency called on students to submit their application for financial support on time, within the time frame that has been announced, noting that the application process has been simplified and is more user-friendly.
In addition, he stated that the Agency's website will also be offered in English, while a new link will be introduced to inform students about other scholarships offered to children who meet the criteria of AFKS, by companies or organizations that are friends of AFKS, in Higher/Higher Institutions of Cyprus and abroad.