TRT Cyprus journalist arrested in fake diploma scandal
Sefa Karahasan, the Turkish public broadcaster TRT’s Cyprus correspondent, was arrested in relation to the ongoing “fake diploma scandal”.
higher education
High share of overqualified workers, ICT sector thrives
Cyprus is among the top countries in Europe in terms of the gross value added by the provision of services in the information and communication technology sector.
Turkey to write report on fake diploma scandal
Turkey’s higher education council (Yok) is preparing a report on the state of the north’s education system in response to the “fake diploma scandal”.
Harris completes steadfast journey to become Ireland, ’s youngest premier
Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister on Tuesday. He started his political career at a young age, being described as a “well-known local activist” at 16 years old. He has a strong work ethic and attention to detail, and is known for his involvement in politics to support his autistic brother. Harris is facing the challenge of regaining support for his party and may need to form coalitions with independent candidates. Despite pressure to move Fine Gael towards a more center-right position, Harris is proud of the social progress made in Ireland and is unlikely to make a significant shift in ideology.
Simon Harris elected new Irish prime minister
Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest ever prime minister, succeeding Leo Varadkar. He was elected unopposed as the new leader of Fine Gael and confirmed in parliament with support from independent lawmakers and coalition partners. Harris faces issues like a shortage of affordable housing and record numbers of asylum seekers. He pledged to focus on law and order, small businesses, and rural voters, and promised to address the housing crisis. Polls show support for Sinn Fein dropping, with independent candidates benefiting the most.
‘Turkish Cypriots’ future lies in European values’
Fact: The Turkish Cypriots’ future “lies in European values,” according to opposition party CTP leader Tufan Erhurman.
Former north , ‘minister’ denies taking bribes
Ziya Ozturkler denied allegations of taking bribes from a university in relation to the ongoing “fake diploma scandal.”
Fake diplomas scandal in north spreads to military
The Turkish Cypriot community is facing a scandal involving fake university diplomas and corruption, which has now affected the security forces’ command. Lieutenant Colonel Özgür Alp was remanded in custody for using a fake diploma for promotion within the Turkish military. The fake diploma was claimed to be from the Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University in Morphou. A high-ranking police officer, Serif Avcil, was also arrested over a fake diploma. This scandal is part of larger issues involving the KSTU university in Morphou, with allegations of embezzlement and fraud through fake student registrations and diplomas. The university is owned by Levent Uysal, a deputy in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Celebi Ilik, involved in the scandal, used fake diplomas for civil service promotions and is facing charges related to forgery. Uysal attempted to obtain a €45 million loan from Swiss IntaCapital bank with fake documents in 2022 but avoided judicial proceedings by getting elected to parliament in May 2023. Turgay Avci, chairman of the Turkish Cypriot higher education watchdog Yodak, is under investigation for possibly having a fake diploma. There are also allegations against Dunya Baris Universitesi for operating illegally and investigations into irregularities in a real estate purchase by Altinbas Holding. Ali Altınbaş and Sofu Altınbaş were detained in September 2020 for involvement in a fuel profiteering network and accused of establishing a criminal organisation, aggravated fraud, and forgery.
Cultivating a modern, inclusive education system
– The education minister, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, aims to make schools more inclusive and wants public universities to offer courses in English.
– Michaelidou has prioritized modernizing and making both public and private schools contemporary and inclusive since her appointment nearly a year ago.
– Amendments to legislation are being considered to improve the operation of private schools and strengthen their control mechanisms.
– Consultations are ongoing for regulations on the admission of final-year private school students to public universities and for providing textbooks and participation in competitions and teacher training programs for private schools.
– Michaelidou has addressed the introduction of undergraduate programs in English at Cyprus’ public universities, which currently offer postgraduate programs in English.
– Regulations need to be approved by the House of Representatives for the University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology to offer undergraduate programs in foreign languages.
– The interior ministry has submitted draft regulations for this purpose, which were discussed but not approved by the education committee.
– Michaelidou’s office is working on implementing changes for the new school year, including updating educational material, improving special education towards inclusivity, promoting digital skills, and upgrading technical and vocational education.
– A National Graduate Tracking Mechanism and an Employers’ Skills Survey are being implemented as part of the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plan to address the disparity between skills provided to pupils and labor market demands.
– The ministry plans to expand free pre-primary education to children aged four years and older, starting from the academic school year 2024-2025, as part of the National Recovery and Resiliency Plan.
Shifting focus in higher education
The number of EU students enrolling in British universities has significantly decreased by more than half since the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union in 2016, with notable declines from Italy, Germany, and France. This trend is also observed in Cyprus, where students are now considering universities in other countries. British passport holders and children of British passport holders residing in the EU can still apply for UK universities and receive home fees until January 1, 2028. Before Brexit, EU students paid just over £9,000 in home fees and had access to student finance, but now, with no loans available, tuition fees can rise to £38,000. Despite the increase in tuition fees, some UK universities still offer home fees or scholarships to reduce costs. Students from Cyprus are exploring universities in various countries, including the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, the USA, and Australia. There is also a noticeable increase in students applying to local private universities in Cyprus due to the variety of courses, scholarship opportunities, flexible entry requirements, and easy application processes. Students are increasingly pursuing courses that offer immediate employment opportunities, with a growing interest in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, risk management, data analysis, art and design, real estate, business, economics/finance/accounting, law, medicine, engineering, psychology, and physiotherapy.