Housing and traffic their most important problems, CUT students tell President
Housing and traffic are the problems university students at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) consider to be the most important, according to discussions on Monday with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, who paid a visit at the campus.
The President, who was accompanied by the Minister of Justice, Marios Hartsiotis, visited CUT on the occasion of the start of the new academic year. He toured the university and discussed with academic staff and students. Afterwards, he also spoke with students belonging of political factions in the university’s courtyard and asked them what problems they were facing, with students highlighting housing and traffic as the main issues.
“There are problems, there are difficulties, with the main issue being housing”, the President said, when asked by journalists what the students told him. He noted that there are currently 300 dormitories at the CUT, while another 500 are under construction. “So in a very short time we will have 800 dormitories. There are ab
out 900 requests a year, so we will be at a very good stage”, he noted.
At the same time, he said the issue of traffic was raised by the students. “There should be, especially from the new halls that are being built, a way to get to the city centre without using cars and we will encourage this to happen, to address traffic problems”, he said.
Regarding his visit to the University, the President said that he had promised Michalis, a first year student with disabilities, that he would go with him on his first day at the University. “I told him that I will go with him and I am happy, because, as a state and as a university – and I want to thank the university – we have ensured that he will have the same opportunities and rights as his fellow students”, he said.
He added that, social issues are a litmus test for the state and the society, on a daily basis. “We have taken our responsibility to ensure that Michalis and all students have the same opportunities”, he said.
Source: Cyprus News Agency