Filenews 31 January 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The development at the end of 2021, with the formalization of the transfer of the Faculty of Tourism Professions to Paphos, marks more than just another academic arrival in the city: According to the people of Paphos, it is the driving force for the integration of the city and district in the academic map of Cyprus, but also internationally. And this, they stress, since it is the first public higher education school to be hosted by the city of Aphrodite, while it comes as the "icing on the cake" of other academic arrivals from 2022. Arrivals, which come to be added to the already existing academic structures, creating a solid foundation for Pafos to be considered as an academic destination.
The signing of the agreement between the Senate of the CUT and the Municipality of Pafos for the operation in the city of the School of Tourism, is treated as the move that leads Pafos to another level. The first arrival of a public university institution was a burning goal of the authorities and organized groups of Pafos and had focused in recent years on the advent of the HHIC, having from the outset identified the tourism sector as a top priority.
The mayor of Pafos spoke of one of the most important achievements of recent years. The hard work of years is bearing fruit today, stressed Phaedon Phaedonos, with the result that Pafos is now developing academic education beyond tourism. As he pointed out, the school will operate in the new year, since in the meantime 2022 will be a year of feverish preparations for the completion of the required building infrastructure. It is estimated that the School of Tourism Studies in Pafos will host more than a thousand students, he said.
"As it is known", stressed the mayor, "the municipality in the framework of the agreement grants in the form of a long-term rental for the housing and operation of the School, the plot on which the new Municipal Hall of Pafos had begun to be erected, the completion of which was finally cancelled with the outbreak of the great economic crisis of 2013. It also undertakes, as it proceeds with the preparation of the architectural and construction plans, including the specialized laboratories, and to carry out the procedures for the licensing of the building facilities, so that in the first half of 2022 the contractor will be selected through a public tender".
The planned inclusion of Pafos in the academic map is made with the practical support of the private initiative of the province, which foresees the common benefit of everyone in Paphos from the success of such a goal.
Characteristic was the involvement of Korantina Homes Company for the construction of the Pafos Innovation Institute and its performance in the city and the citizens of Paphos. The President of the Republic of Cyprus himself, awarded Korantina Homes 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.
Collaboration with the University of Hetziliya, Israel
The city enters a new era and invests in innovation and education
The particular dynamic that Pafos has been developing lately in the fields of research and innovation, finds its application in the case of its pioneering collaboration with the internationally renowned University of Hedrjiliya in Israel, the fruit of which is the creation of the Pafos Innovation Institute.
This academic institution was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, as early as the end of 2020. The year in which we entered, however, is expected to be a year of practical operation, since the pandemic has also caused problems and delays in this regard.
It is a unique academic project in Cyprus, argue the actors of Pafos, with the formalization of the operation of which, the city enters a new era and invests in innovation and education. Mr. Phaedonos particularly emphasizes the fact that this foundation is the result of the cooperation developed by Cyprus and especially Paphos with Israel in recent years. Cooperation on the basis of which, as he said, the common vision for a substantial and strategic upgrading of relations between us, evolved into mutually beneficial synergies in the fields of energy, defence, counter-terrorism, health, research, technology and education. It gives the mark of this innovative initiative of the municipality and its importance for the city and its residents.
"The decisive criterion," he said, "is the degree of impact a project has on the lives of citizens. This project will not immediately affect the society of the city, but it is my belief that in the long run it can play a decisive role in changing course, in redefining the stigma of this city. We shape our future and our fate ourselves. I assure you that our future will be better because that's how we want it and that's how we decided."
The new academic institution of Pafos will offer master's degrees in the fields of innovation, water management, energy sources, food safety, systems engineering and informatics and interactive collaboration between people and machines.
The American University of Beirut
The "new entry" in the academic development of Pafos, is for a few weeks now the American University of Beirut.
After the assignment of the historical Carob Mills to the Municipal Authority by the state, the most important step, their exploitation, has been permanently locked and concerns the academic sector. The municipal authority has already completed the contacts and processes with this academic institution for its transfer to Paphos and its operation in the area on Apostolou Pavlou Avenue.
The procedures were initiated in the last year at a very fast pace, with the Municipality of Pafos progressing rapidly and in all "secrecy" with the announcement of interest for the academic exploitation of the Carobs. The offer was submitted to the timetables set by this university, which as everything indicates will be from 2022 another academic home in the city, after Neapolis University, the Faculty of Tourism Professions of CUT, Alexander College, CDA College and Pafos Innovation Institute.
