STUDENTS enrolling in private colleges or universities will soon be informed on the full cost of their studies from the day they start until the day they graduate, according to a new bill being prepared.
The specific bill has been in the works for over a year, though the Legal Services have confirmed they are in the final stages of assessing and sending it to Parliament for approval.
Student unions have been up in arms about the constant increases in tuition fees, with students starting off with one budget in mind and ending up paying much more by the time they graduate.
Private institutions, which are still not-for-profit organisations, argue that the increases are completely legitimate as they receive far less government funding.
DISY will support the new bill, the party’s vice president and Chairman of the House Education Committee, Nicos Tornaritis said yesterday.
Tornaritis had met with a new initiative group that is protesting private tuition fee increases and calling for a change in legislation.
“Students should indeed be aware from the start what money they will have to pay, until the last day they will be studying at a private college or university,” said Tornaritis.
Being in the midst of a financial crisis doesn’t help, he added, calling on private university owners to re-assess their fees and adapt them to the current economic situation.
“It is unheard of for someone who is studying in the UK to be paying less than what he would have paid in Cyprus,” said Tornaritis. “Something needs to be done.”
Ruling party AKEL has also voiced its support for the new bill.
“AKEL is willing to support it because it sets restrictions and proves the government’s determination to take measures that will end the phenomenon of unacceptable tuition fee increases and protect students,” said George Loucaides, the party’s co-ordinator for education issues.
Speaking on behalf of the initiative to decrease tuition fees, Chrysostomos Pashiardis said the new bill would include clauses that will control cost increases, thus offering students the opportunity to know the cost of their studies for up to four years.
This, he said, was the basic demand of the initiative.
The matter was discussed during Tuesday’s House Education Committee.
During the session, student unions underlined the need for a change in legislation, though they all agreed that it was time the Ministry concluded on this bill.
Left-wing union EDON’s spokesman pointed out that the Legal Services had been assessing the specific bill for over a year now, while right-wing NEDISY said it was poignant that college fees were always discussed in September.
Last October, the union’s president told MPs, that the Education Minister had announced he would soon be promoting the bill to Parliament, while now – a whole year later – it hasn’t even passed through the Legal Services.
It was also pointed out that Cyprus was among the only EU states to increase its fees, when other countries such as the UK are reducing them.
However, it was commonly accepted that the increases were completely legitimate.
Either way, tuition fees need to decrease, according to the spokesman for POFEN, the Pancyprian Federation of Student Unions, who explained that fees of around €8,500 a year were just too much for students to take on.
Speaking on behalf of the European University of Cyprus, Dr Andreas Eleftheriades said private universities were called to explain themselves every September, when in essence they are only acting in accordance to the law.
“All students are informed from the start on the height of the fees they will have to submit until they complete their studies,” he said.
“A public university student costs the state around €18,000 to €20,000, while the privately it costs €8,000 to €9,000.”
Explanations were offered on behalf of the Ministry and Legal Services over the delays in handing the bill over.
The ministry said it had initially prepared new regulations, which it submitted to the Legal Services for evaluation, who in turn said the matter could only be regulated by altering the basic law.
So the new amended bill was sent to the Services on July 30 and is soon expected to be promoted to the Cabinet for approval, before being forwarded to the House.
