STUDENT AND youth organisations yesterday demonstrated outside the Presidential Palace in protest against the government’s plans to up retirement age from 63 to 65.
A brief meeting with Government Spokesman Christodoulos Pashiardis provided little satisfaction to the students’ demands.
“The government, as you know very well, cares for you youths as well. But it also needs to take care of the best interests of the broader social entity,” said Pashardis after the meeting.
President of students’ federation POFEN, Christos Senekis, responded, “We have no other choice but to continue expressing our opposition to these social measures.”
Hailing the beginning of POFEN’s 33rd annual conference earlier in the day, House President Demetris Christofias said that investing in education is an investment for the new generation and our country’s future and for this reason this is a sector that the state should be generous towards.
“The state also needs to be generous in matters concerning student funding, so that our youths can concentrate on their studies and see them through without problems,” he added.
Christofias mentioned that he was aware of the student federation’s basic demand, which is the further strengthening of student funding in order to cover the students who are currently not covered by the government’s scheme.
“I would like to say that the party I am honoured to be leading supports this demand, taking of course into consideration the state’s financial abilities”.
Talking of students’ reaction to the extension of retirement age, Christofias said “our youths are naturally reacting to the extension of retirement age, because this is an obstacle for their future and it undermines their employment potential, as well as their evolution in society”.
He added, “We are of the opinion that the solutions to any problems faced by the Social Security Fund must be sought elsewhere and not at the expense of our youths and their potential.”
One of the federation’s most significant conquests, he went on, was the foundation of the University of Cyprus, which opened up a new era for higher education in Cyprus.
He then referred to the educational reform, which is now in the implementation stage.
“Already, some of the reform’s aspects – such as the all-day school and the expansion of preschool education – have begun being realised, but the need for a more decisive promotion of it is imperative,” he concluded.
