Cyprus International Education Fair opens in Nicosia

Exhibitors from Cyprus and another 15 countries participate in the 14th International Education Fair, which opened here Thursday by Minister of Education and Culture Akis Cleanthous. The Fair, that will last until February 25, is held in memory of former Education Minister Pefkios Georgiades who died last month.

In his address at the opening, Cleanthous said “this is an excellent opportunity for information and update which is avidly looked forward to by pupils, educators, parents and other stakeholders”.

“The Ministry has already proceeded with establishing one-year compulsory free education in the pilot scheme for the all-day primary school, the unification of examinations in secondary education, the reduction of class sizes, the creation of the musical and athletic Lyceums and other important innovations being presented at this year’s International Education Fair,” Cleanthous said.

He noted that areas that are being promoted are the upgrade of pre-service training of educators through the undertaking of the programme by the University of Cyprus, the restructuring of the Ministry of Education, the training of educators, the upgrade of the Pedagogical Institute and the establishment of the Research and Assessment Centre, the drawing up of a proposal for a new type of Lyceum and the introduction of a new modern plan for assessing educators.

At the same time, he added, our European education programmes are being upgraded and innovative features expanded within Education through the establishment of priority zones, the support programmes, and the introduction of new technologies at school. In addition, the curricula in Technical and Vocational Education and the material infrastructure of schools are being updated and restructured in cooperation with the European Union.

As regards tertiary education, Cleanthous said there are radical changes being undertaken with the establishment of the Technological University of Cyprus as from next September and the operation of the Open University which has already accepted its first students, the future establishment of the first Private Universities, and the expansion of the University of Cyprus with the establishment of new schools and departments.

“These measures will broaden opportunities for studies in Cyprus and it is envisaged that they will curb private extracurricular tuition on school subjects, an issue that is a burden on our children and on family budgets,” he noted.

On cultural affairs, he said “we are focusing on the creation of works of cultural infrastructure at local and national levels alike within the framework of the construction of the Hall of Culture and the promotion of the State Theatre.”

Vice-Chairman of the Cyprus State Fairs Authority Georgios Georgadjis in a message at the opening ceremony said that in all, 210 participants cover the whole range of education and training, providing information on study terms, specialization options, professional training, new techniques and systems.

The Fair provides information on all educational and training programs available in Cyprus and internationally, allowing students and their parents to select the discipline which best corresponds to their training specialization, he noted.

He said a total of 167 foreign participants come from 15 countries, namely Greece, the USA, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, Holland, Hungary, Russia and the Czech Republic.

Overseas Cultural Centers also participate in the Fair such as the Fulbright Institution, the French Cultural Center, the Goethe Institute with the German Embassy as well as the embassies of Spain and Holland, providing information about their countries’ educational affairs.

Cypriot participants include the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, the Human Resource Development Authority, the University of Cyprus, the Technological University, the Higher Hotel Institute and all Public Tertiary Education Institutions.