Cyprus-Forum.com

[shahmaran]

The University of Cyprus yesterday announced that it would accept a limited number of Turkish Cypriot students in the 2008 academic year.

Five positions have been opened for each of the following undergraduate courses:

English Studies Department
French and Modern Language Studies
Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies
History and Archaeology
Classical Studies and Philosophy
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies
Psychology studies

Anyone know why they have a "limited" number of places within the universities for the TC students?

Specially a ridiculous number like 5 for each course totalling to an astonishing number of 35 STUDENTS! WOW thanks RoC! Why did you bother

They cant seriously be appointing spaces according to ethnicity or is that common practice?

Is this how our universities work as well?

[shahmaran]

Also, I am assuming these can only be students who hold a RoC ID since the RoC does everything they possibly can to force one down your throat and get you out the way for future agendas, so if they have been accepted as a citizen of the RoC, why are they still being separated from the rest for being a TC?

[Tim Drayton]

I beleive that all courses are taught through the medium of Greek at the University of Cyprus, which is another barrier for Turkish Cypriot students.

[Oracle]

It's quite common for Universities to reserve or limit certain places to particular groups of people.

In the UK the government urges Universities to accept students from non-fee paying schools preferentially by lowering the General Entrance requirements in their favour. So limitations may be placed on how many public school students they accept in any one year.

There are often limits set to the number of overseas students. Sometimes Universities have entered into contracts with Overseas Governments and so they have limited spaces for a certain "ethnicity".

Bursaries and scholarships are limited by their very nature to certain numbers (usually very few) and can also have limitations such as to whom they are offered, set by the sponsors.

They may even limit placements according to sex or for certain disabilities.

[shahmaran]

And what about for their own citizens?

[Oracle]

And what about for their own citizens?

Tertiary Education is discriminatory by its very nature .... It's supposed to be based on "merit" which is inherently biased. Added to that because of financial reasons or social requirements (eg for extra teachers or engineers) more levels of discretion are applied. Throw in some benefactor's bursaries and it's open to all sorts of peculiarities. These would all therefore apply to segregate the citizens where the University is based.

[shahmaran]

I still cant see what other reasons could there be for denying a TC student a place within the university, apart from the fact the he/she might not speak any Greek and also apparently because he/she is a TC.

But judging by the courses they have opened places at, language doesn't seem to be a key issue either because it seems like we can go down there and study "Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies" or even "Psychology" and "Philosophy", also we definately dont need to speak Greek to study "English", so what is the problem?

Do the GC students get treated in such way?

Or maybe the Chinese and Russians who are RoC citizens?

[Oracle]

Shah I don't think they are limiting the places for TC students. TCs would probably be able to apply like any other student, but on top of that normal Entrance quota ... they have probably set aside "limited" places which they would discretionarily / preferentially give to TCs, over and above the usual general entrances.

It's the use of the term "limited" that is probably causing the confusion.

Do you have an Application form with the Entrance Requirements which may shed some more light on this?

[shahmaran]

Shah I don't think they are limiting the places for TC students. TCs would probably be able to apply like any other student, but on top of that normal Entrance quota ... they have probably set aside "limited" places which they would discretionarily / preferentially give to TCs, over and above the usual general entrances.

It's the use of the term "limited" that is probably causing the confusion.

Do you have an Application form with the Entrance Requirements which may shed some more light on this?

Hmmm possibly....

But don't you think the following actually means what it says?

"The University of Cyprus yesterday announced that it would accept a limited number of Turkish Cypriot students in the 2008 academic year."

I don't know much about the universities in the South, maybe if Lana is still around she might now, she doesn't read this section anymore.

[Get Real!]

The University of Cyprus yesterday announced that it would accept a limited number of Turkish Cypriot students in the 2008 academic year.

This is a clear case of your ineptitude in understanding that which you quoted.

It clearly states that there are a limited number of places in ONE of the universities and not the whole lot.

The reason being that it’s the only government subsidized university, so demand to enter it is HUGE, but of course that doesn’t stop people from attending the other 3-4 universities for the right price.

Indeed, I happen to pay a handsome amount p/annum for my daughter to attend one of the other ones.

Therefore, your attempt to suggest ethnic discrimination has now been debunked.