Filenews 7 November 2021 - by Dora Christodoulou
The formalization of the transfer of the School of Tourism professions to Paphos, may monopolize the interest in the city and province and be treated with solemn comments by bodies, organizations and citizens of Pafos, however, it is not an isolated event of great importance. It is another link in a chain of actions that began with the establishment and operation of Neapolis University, by M Michalakis Leptos, which continued with the establishment and transfer of two other private universities and college institutions and the conclusion of an agreement between the Municipality of Pafos and an Israeli academic institution for its operation in Paphos at postgraduate level.
The decision of the Senate and the Municipal Council of Paphos for the operation in the city of the School of the Foundation concerning tourism studies, passes the city to another academic level. The mayor of Paphos spoke of one of the most important achievements of recent years. The hard work of years bears fruit, stressed Phaedon Phaedonos, so Paphos now develops academic education beyond tourism. The school will operate in the next few years in the city, after the required building infrastructure is completed. This will be done in 2023, he estimated, when the first students of the new School will start studying in Paphos. It is estimated that the School of Tourism Studies of Paphos will host more than a thousand students. This School will not only upgrade the tourism industry of Paphos but the whole of Cyprus.
As mentioned in the context of the extraordinary meeting of the Paphos Municipal Council that ratified the agreement, the Municipality, within the framework of the agreement, as owner, grants in the form of a long-term rental, for a nominal annual rent of €1,000 for 33 years and with the right to renew for two more equal periods of time, a plot of a total area of 4,295 sq. m. in the parish of Agios Theodoros and the building within it that will be erected for the accommodation and operation of the School. This is the plot on which the new Pafos Municipal Hall had begun to be built, the completion of which was finally cancelled with the outbreak of the 2013 financial crisis. Moreover, the CUT undertakes to deliver a building program of the required facilities for the above purpose by December 31, 2021.
The Municipality undertakes to proceed with the preparation of architectural and construction plans, including specialized laboratories and to carry out the licensing procedures of the building facilities, so that in the first half of 2022 the contractor will be selected through a public tender. The aim is for the facilities to be completed by July 2023. Due to the particular and specialized functional requirements of the facilities, the layout of the building that will arise during the preparation of the architectural plans should be the product of understanding and common acceptance between the contracting parties.
With the formalization of the transfer of this school to Paphos, the preparatory work is already taking a heavy pace: the Municipality of Paphos and SODAP had the first meeting with the aim of finalizing the agreement for the construction of student dormitories on the plot owned by SODAP, which until a few days ago was the old Paphos ice factory and already the Committee of the Organization approved this move. The area is located next to the plot of land on which the school's facilities will be built, in front of the church of Panagia Pantanassa and is considered ideal for this purpose.
The Mayor of Paphos stressed that during the meeting there was a positive attitude to this planning on the part of the Sodap Council. However, a series of procedures that must be followed in order to finalize the agreement is required, as Phaedon Phaedonos explained, and he announced that in this context, the Municipal Authority and SODAP will be in close contact in order for the effort to be successfully concluded.
The talks between the Municipality of Paphos and SODAP for the exploitation of the part of the wine industry for this purpose, take place on the basis of the construction of building facilities of 3000 sq. m. which are estimated to be completed within a period of more than 13 months from the start of the works.
The President of the Committee of SODAP, Andreas Pirpas, spoke of a meeting in a positive atmosphere and stressed that the organization appears willing to use its specific asset for the construction of student dormitories, with the aim of giving a new breath of life to Paphos.
From Beirut to Paphos the American University
The effort for the further inclusion of Paphos in the academic map, said Mr. Phaedonos, does not stop after this successful conclusion of the efforts for the arrival of a state tourism school in the city, but continues with the aim of operating in Paphos other university institutions. Already, the development of the arrival in Paphos of the American University of Beirut must be taken for granted. This university institution was the only one that officially submitted a tender within the deadlines set by the Municipality for the assignment of the facilities of the Carob Mill, on the avenue leading to Kato Paphos, in order to function as an academic area.
Cooperation with the University of Hetrjiliya, Israel
The particular dynamics that Cyprus has been developing recently in the fields of research and innovation, following the series of ambitious reforms, fully harmonized with the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, finds its application in the case of the city of Paphos and its pioneering cooperation with the internationally renowned University of Getziliya in Israel, the fruit of which is the creation of the Academic Foundation Paphos Innovation Institute. This academic institution was inaugurated by the President of the Republic in November 2020. This is a unique academic project in Cyprus which is the product of the collaboration of the Municipality of Paphos with the renowned University of Reichman University (IDC Herzliya) of Israel. Characteristic was the involvement of Korantina homes company for the construction of the Paphos Innovation Institute and its performance in the city and the citizens of Paphos. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, awarded Korantina homes and its owner, George Ioannou, an honorary distinction for the generous sponsorship given for the construction and development of the Institute, given that the company donated an amount of €2.5 million for the creation of the project.
