EDUCATION Minister Pefkios Georgiades, who died yesterday aged 72, leaves behind a legacy of a man with unrelenting enthusiasm and vision to create a better tomorrow for today’s youth.
Opinionated, strong willed and sometimes downright shameless, he was hard not to like and admire for his forthrightness and desire to do the right thing.
Appointed to office in 2003 and the only minister not removed in last year’s reshuffle, Georgiades could have been described as the cabinet’s big, friendly giant who always loped into a room with a smile on his face.
Often late for appointments, with a schedule that kept him busy from morning till night, he always found time to listen to children’s views and struggled to find ways of how best to help them.
Having attended a public school himself, graduating from the Pancyprian Gymnasium in 1952, the minister always seemed happiest when surrounded by youngsters.
In 1957 he earned a degree in architecture from the University of Sheffield in the UK and after practicing architecture in England became a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Two years later he returned to Cyprus and joined the Public Works department.
In 1961 he won a one-year scholarship from the Dutch government which led to a post graduate degree from the “Bowcentrum” in Rotterdam in programming and designing architectural works.
Upon his return to Cyprus he was made the Education Ministry’s Technical Services head architect, a post he kept until 1972, when he left the civil service to open his own architectural office.
As an architect in the private sector he dealt with a large number of projects, covering a wide range of uses, such as buildings for the tourist industry, groups of offices, multi-storey buildings, and museums.
He was particularly interested in the study/preservation of the cultural heritage of Cyprus, especially its architectural heritage, and was secretary general of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Organisation for Architectural Heritage, not to mention the recently elected President of the Cyprus Branch of International Council on Monuments and Sites.
His familiarity with the world of construction and architecture could perhaps explain why the outspoken minister thought nothing of losing his temper with contractors who failed to have schools safe before the start of term and did not take no for an answer.
“Why can’t it be done today? The schools are opening today. This is unacceptable,” he thundered at builders not so long ago, oblivious to the TV cameras filming his outburst.
This sort of spontaneity was part of the 72-year-old’s charm, a man who was able to fill a room with his presence and booming voice.
With an almost childlike eagerness Georgiades thought nothing of interrupting news conferences and seminars to ask questions from expert speakers, or to share his views on topics such as teen drug abuse, reckless driving, and sex education, to name but a few.
“If speeding is such a problem why do they make cars that can reach maximum speeds of 250 kilometres an hour and not make cars that only drive within the speed limits?” he queried at Cyprus’ Road Safety Performance Index Talk last month.
Although the minister will be remembered by journalists for his refreshing candour and willingness to talk, one cannot forget the many distinctions and awards for important architectural works he received, nor how in 1996 he was awarded an honourary Doctorate by Oxford Brookes University.
He was also a member of the Scientific and Technical Institute of Cyprus, the Cyprus Association of Civil Engineers and Architects president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Theatrical Organisation of Cyprus, the Fine Arts and Monuments Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Education, the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Organisation for Land Development and Europa Nostra.
He is survived by his wife and three children.
