AT THIS time each year, the International Conference Centre in Nicosia fills with hordes of high-school students trying to juggle piles of prospectuses in both hands as they attempt to get their puzzled minds round the idea of further education.
The three-day Education UK Exhibition, which comes to a close today, is organised by the British Council and features representatives from 48 UK universities, who have been offering advice on courses, entry requirements and application procedures.
There are a number of seminars for the general public, parents and prospective students on areas such as engineering, law, business studies and medicine.
Cypriot students are some of the highest achievers globally in UK international exams such as the IGCSE, with several scoring the best marks globally in subjects ranging from history to mathematics
According to Elena Charalambidou, Communications Co-ordinator with the British Council, “UK universities like Cypriot students as they come well prepared and committed and are completer-finishers, meaning they don’t drop out”.
After Greece, the UK is the number one destination for Cypriots to study abroad. The latest figures from the Ministry of Education show there are about four times as many Cypriots studying in the UK as the next most popular destination, the USA.
In the year following Cypriot EU accession, the number of UK education related enquiries at the British Council doubled from 50,000 to over 100,000; nearly 50 per cent of new students going to the UK from the 10 accession countries were from Cyprus and there was a 70 per cent increase in undergraduate applications from Cyprus to study in the UK.
Figures released last week by the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency show that there are now over 5,500 Cypriots studying in the UK (at under and postgraduate levels.)
“This is an extremely impressive increase and underlines the growing demand for UK education,” said Charalambidou.
Education Minister, Pefkios Georgiades, described the annual exhibition as “an important event”; “it is with great pleasure that I greet the organising of it. I would like to express warm congratulations to the Directorate of the British Council in Cyprus for their initiative, as the Education UK Exhibition provides useful information to those who are interested in studying in the UK.
“The very good knowledge of English, which Cypriot students have, as well as the long tradition that the United Kingdom enjoys in offering quality higher and further education are important factors which enable young Cypriots to study in the UK. Especially after Cyprus’ accession to the EU, the UK became an attractive destination since Cypriot students became eligible for home fees.
“In this respect, the Education UK Exhibition is contributing towards the wider efforts of the Ministry of Education and Culture for a more integrated and holistic update on educational matters in order for students to be able to make the right choice.”
