2020 Cyprus Country Report

Education
main priority of the
A Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sport and Youth
for 2021, gaining urgency
after the experience of
the global health crisis,
is the further integration
of digital technology in
Cyprus’ public education
system. Within this
context, our plans for
the new school year took
into account the latest
epidemiological data and
adhering to the advice
of public health experts.
Already, electronic
enrolment to secondary
schools has been
completed successfully
for the 2020-21 school
year, whereas legislation
is underway to establish
and safeguard distance
learning. Additionally,
efforts are made to
develop an e-Learning
Database, as well
as to implement a
comprehensive roadmap
for digital sufficiency
in schools, both in
equipment and, through
systematic training,
teachers’ digital skills.
A GROWING SECTOR
The island’s first university – the University of
Cyprus (UCY) – was established as recently as
1989, yet even before that only the US and Canada
had more graduates per capita as Cypriots sent
their children to universities abroad. Today the
landscape is vastly different with eight rapidly
expanding universities, five of which are private,
that have forged links and cooperative agreements
with reputable universities across the
globe.
Cyprus has steadily established itself as a hub
for quality higher education (HE). Over the last
decade, the sector has grown by more than 80%
in student numbers, exceeding 47,000 students
during 2017-2018. In 2016 alone the education
sector is estimated to have contributed around
€900 million to the local economy and was responsible
for approximately 9,500 jobs in HE and
its supporting industries.
The number of foreign students choosing
Cyprus for their studies has almost tripled in
the last five years, representing over 60 different
countries and supporting the growth of Cyprus
into a true global educational centre. A major attraction
for students from non-EU countries is
that compared to many other countries, Cyprus
offers a value-for-money education and qualifications
recognised by EU members and validated
by accreditation agencies of various countries.
But more than affordability, it is the high academic
standards that are attracting a growing number
of students from prosperous countries such as the
United States, Canada, Australia and even New
Zealand.
The number of overseas students at the island’s
accredited universities soared from fewer than
400 in the 2004-2005 academic year to 17,601 in
2015-16, and exceeded 50,000 in 2018-19. Some
50% of overseas students were from Greece and
the EU, but the range of countries that foreign
students come from is rapidly expanding. A 2018
EY report estimated that if the current level of
HE activity in Cyprus is sustained and complemented
by a moderate growth in international
students and research expenditure, the sector’s
economic contribution could grow by a further
€400 million by 2023.
CLIMBING UP THE RANKINGS
The academic reputation of Cyprus universities
has also been growing, with institutions climbing
up international rankings. UCY is currently
among the world’s top 400 universities and the
67 th best of institutions that are under 50 years
old, according to the Times Higher Education
World University Rankings, an influential data
provider in Britain that assesses university
performance globally. In 63 rd place is another
public institution, the research-focused Cyprus
University of Technology (CUT/Tepak), established
in Limassol in 2004. CUT is also ranked
as the 17 th best university in the world with fewer
than 5,000 students in 2019. In addition, Cyprus
claimed two of the top three spots on the ‘New
Europe’ table of the best research-intensive universities
within the 13 nations that have joined
the EU since 2004, in which CUT ranked first
for citation impact, while UCY led on industry
income and international outlook measures.
Sector Profile
Prodromos Prodromou
Minister of Education,
Culture, Sport and Youth
UniHalls Premier
Country Report CYPRUS 2020 75