Tepak students discuss new student dorms with Paphos mayor

By Tom Cleaver

Students from the Cyprus University of Technology (Tepak) discussed matters related to the new student dormitories in Paphos with the town’s mayor Phedonas Phedonos on Thursday.

The students spoke of the importance of the “immediate delivery and operation” of the new student dormitories, and also called on the Paphos municipality to “further support” students in the town in matters concerning their daily lives.

Phedonos told the students he is “committed” to continuing to support the town’s student population and to improving their living conditions.

Tepak, which has its central campus located in Limassol, opened its Paphos campus in September last year, with a total of 300 students enrolled in courses at the campus.

Phedonos said at the time that he expects there to eventually be up to 1,000 Tepak students based in Paphos.

He also said his municipality was “hard at work” to complete the construction of a 203-bed student accommodation building, which cost €13 million.

The contract for the accommodation building was signed a month later, with Phedonas then saying the university’s presence in Paphos is “increasing the critical mass of the town” and “creating a new pillar in the district’s economy”.

More recently, the government last month approved funding for the construction of accommodation for 703 Tepak students, split between Limassol and Paphos, following the acquisition of a €108m loan from the European Investment Bank.

Government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said the project would “improve the students’ access to high-quality higher education [and] affordable housing”.

However, not all Tepak students have been convinced by the move. Students from the university’s tourism and hospitality school in April staged a protest against plans to move their courses from Limassol to Paphos.

They held a sit-in outside the rector’s building, holding placards reading “Tepak against its students”.

They pointed out that many Tepak students have already rented accommodation in Limassol and therefore cannot afford to move to Paphos, while many have also taken up part-time jobs in Limassol, which they would likely have to leave were they to have to relocate to Paphos.