Actions are being promoted for the upgrade and development of higher education in Cyprus, the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, Athena Michaelidou said on Tuesday, after a meeting on higher education at the Presidential Palace, chaired by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.

She also noted that three large surveys were already being conducted through the Recovery and Resilience Fund, by the Ministry of Education, to monitor and record labour market needs for the purpose of interconnection with higher education.

The Minister of Education pointed out that the decision “is that we proceed with submitting a proposal to the Cabinet, which will be more broadly related to the issue of upgrading and developing higher education in our country”, while very soon, they will proceed with amending the legislation as well as with all other actions that have been decided.

The Ministers of Finance, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Labour also participated in the meeting, as well as other officials.

After the meeting, Michaelidou said, in her statements to journalists, that they discussed about upgrading higher education in the country. Higher education is not only important for educational reasons but also for economic ones, she pointed out.

She added that they focused on four pillars; promoting the quality of the country's higher education, amending the legislation, connecting higher education with the labour market, and offering scholarships and incentives for foreign students to attend study programmes in Cyprus.

As regards connecting higher education with the labour market, the Minister said that, in Cyprus, university graduates have much less employment opportunities, also because of their choices, and noted that they have worked systematically so that there is an interconnection of higher education, at all levels, with the needs of the labour market through research results.

Already, she added, three surveys are being conducted by the Ministry of Education through the Recovery and Resilience Fund, which monitor and record the needs in the labour market.

She said that these data were given and will continue to be given to all the competent Ministries so that there are quick results.