THE University of Cyprus will not be accepting applications from students with international qualifications the next academic year, following an amended law passed by parliament yesterday.
Last week UCY decided to open up three per cent of positions to applicants with international accreditations, such as GCEs, for the 2009-2010 academic year.
The move had political parties scrambling to pass a bill that has been sitting in parliament for weeks to regulate UCY admissions policy. The university took flak from the secondary teachers union OELMEK, fiercely opposed to any changes to the admissions regime.
The university’s action angered political parties, and the UCY was accused of bypassing the legislature and displaying a lack of “respect” toward it.
In a weird decision yesterday – the result of political give-and-take – parliament voted to keep the admissions policy as is, meaning that any changes would be introduced as of 2010-2011 – at least in theory.
However, parliament also committed to revisiting the issue before the end of this year, in order to allow for more “dialogue” between the interested parties. The decision also commits the Ministry of Education to put forward a final proposal by the end of 2009, regulating the issue once and for all.
UCY Rector Stavros Zenios said the university had no choice but to abide by the law.
“Certainly the university will respect the law. While we do not understand the need to postpone the implementation [of the three per cent clause] by a year, nonetheless we shall abide by the law.”
He also defended the senate’s “unilateral” move, saying it was perfectly legitimate at the time it was taken.
Asked about students who may in the meantime have applied with their GCEs and who now may be left in the lurch, Zenios said the university washed its hands:
“This is not the university’s responsibility. We do not pass the laws, parliament does.”
Any such applicants with grievances could take their case to civil court, he offered.
Reports last night said a very small number of students – perhaps just one – with GCEs had applied to the UCY.
The secondary teachers union saw yesterday’s development as a vindication of their views, but hinted that the battle was not over.
“We are seeking a dialogue, a substantive dialogue, that ensures equal treatment for all students, whether they are from public or private schools,” said union head Eleni Semelidou.
Semelidou went on to assert that “GCEs are not an acknowledged international accreditation…the GCEs are English-language exams which students take to get into universities in Britain.”
