EDITORIAL: Diversity in education, at all levels in Cyprus

One of the successes in education the present administration can boast about is the accreditation of local colleges to become international universities, helping to propel Cyprus to the next level of education services providers.

The government should continue to encourage existing colleges to raise their standards to university level and then afford some incentives and assistance to help them secure the accreditation needed to become internationally accepted educational institutes.

The same should also be valid for new projects, such as the one planned in Paphos, that will help attract a different breed of students and academics alike.

Diversity is as important with a plethora of subjects avoided by the new universities for the simple reason that many courses may be considered a financial risk or burden.

With the vast network of diaspora Cypriot professors of all national roots (Greeks, Turks, Maronites and Armenians), there is an unutilised workforce around the world that would seriously considered returning home, as some have done already.

At the same time, new courses could flourish side-by-side with the traditional ones that are just as important to secure a future career for the budding young students.

In order to get there, though, the present or any future government should also be brave enough to admit that there is a major flaw in its public schooling and give further incentives to the private primary and secondary schools, while at the same time introducing the radical reforms necessary in the government schools.

Some private schools are touching upon some ‘new’ subjects as they realize they have to prepare their pupils well, or they will be lost. Some are even offering more choices than ever before in foreign languages, while the number of commonly spoken languages in Cyprus already exceeds a dozen.

The right investment in education will also produce the right citizens of the future as Cyprus becomes more of a multicultural society by the year and more minority groups seek to explore their national identities and roots.

One such example is the recent concern raised about the verba lingua of the Maronities that is nearing extinction but should be protected under the European Charter for Minority Languages. This was the case with the Armenian language and the Armenian schools of Cyprus, with the government committed to research the history of the past and build schools for the future. They money is readily available and other international funds are also waiting to be tapped.

The government should warmly embrace the Charter and not simply adopt it as yet another document that maps out its obligations towards a minority group. Researching the history, culture and language of these groups will also help cultivate a truly multicultural image that Cyprus deserves but yet does not enjoy.