Higher Education is provided by public institutions and private third level institutions which award diplomas below first university degree level.

The government places a major emphasis in reforming the educational system of our country. Our mission is to change the landscape in Tertiary Education.

The University of Cyprus started its operation in September 1992.

The Open University started its operation in September 2006.

The Cyprus Technical University will start its operation in September 2007.

About 75% of all secondary school leavers continue their studies beyond secondary level. Of these about 45% attend higher education institutions in Cyprus and the remaining 30% attend higher education institutions abroad.

During the previous academic year there were 9813 Cypriot students at tertiary institutions abroad distributed by country as follows:

Students at tertiary education institutions are distributed as 50% to the public institutions and 50% to private institutions.

Foreign students in Cyprus mainly come from countries of the British Commonwealth and Middle East.

Secondary Technical and Vocational Education represents about 21% of the total student population of the upper secondary Education (ages 15-18 years old). It is offered to the students who graduate from the Gymnasion at the age of fifteen and have selected to follow either the Technical or Vocational stream of Secondary Technical Education. The main difference between the Technical and Vocational streams is that in the syllabus of the vocational stream the emphasis is given to the science subjects, while in the syllabus of the vocational stream the emphasis is given to technological subjects, workshop practice and industrial training.

Upon completion of their studies which have a duration of three years, graduates of the technical stream may continue their studies in higher education institutions (in the area of Engineering, Arts, Design, Hotel Management, etc) or may be employed as technicians while students who follow the vocational stream may be employed as craftsmen.

Question: We noticed that many cabinet members of your government received education overseas. Does the government make a special emphasis on an educational background and experience abroad?

Answer: Tertiary Education is a relatively new experience for the Cypriot reality. As mentioned before, the first university in Cyprus (The University of Cyprus) was established in 1992 and therefore it counts only 14 years of operation. Admittance to the University is based on entrance examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture in collaboration with the University. Students passing the examinations are eligible to enter the Cyprus University. Here we need to underline the emphasis that Cypriots put in tertiary education. Before the establishment of The University of Cyprus, this need of the citizens of the island was fulfilled with bilateral relations between Cyprus and Greece. Entrance examinations designed and organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture were held in order to determine students' eligibility for enrollment in Greek Universities. In addition to the above, placement in other universities abroad was sought for parties that were interested to continue their studies abroad.

That is the main reason that cabinet members of the government, state officials and numerous others hold degrees from universities all over the world.

Question: Are there any education or culture exchange programs going on between Cyprus and China? How many Chinese students are studying in Cyprus and vice versa? What majors do the Chinese students usually take? Will they be able to find jobs after graduation?

Answer: In August 2005, the Chinese Foreign Minister visited Cyprus. During the official meetings of our executives (that is the Chinese Foreign Minister and President Papadopoulos) our governments hailed their close ties and vowed to promote further bilateral relations.

President Tassos Papadopoulos told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing that our country adheres firmly to the one-China policy and expresses its gratitude for the Chinese government's efforts in the reunification of our island.

Allow me to place significant emphasis on the fact that both the Cypriot government and people admire China for its rapid economic development and wish the people of China to achieve greater success in the near future.

During the past 35 years, Cyprus and China have developed a deep friendship and cooperative relations in accordance with international norms. Sino-Cypriot friendly cooperative relations in various fields have progressed well since the two countries forged diplomatic relations. Let us not forget that the two countries cooperate closely in regional and international affairs.

The Chinese government has proved that it supports the policy that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, are all equal members of the international community and allow me to underline that strengthening Sino- Cypriot friendly cooperative relations is a set policy of the Cyprus government.

The bilateral ties of the two countries have maintained good momentum for development. Cyprus and China have no conflict of interest, and have made progress on economic, trade, and cultural cooperation. New opportunities to further bilateral cooperation had appeared since Cyprus participated in the European Union. The exchange of undergraduates and postgraduates students as well as grants and scholarships can be closely examined. Another area that holds of greater investigation is that of the cooperation between universities and scientific institutions. Last but not least, the two countries should continue to promote all forms of cultural exchange.

This July, one artist from China's Fujiian Province visited Cyprus. In addition to the above, this year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Sino-Cypriot bilateral relations, which is of great significance for the Republic of Cyprus. Major events and a calendar of activities will be developed in due time, always in coordination with other organizations both governmental or not. Interested parties should get together and plan the project. We are considering a large scale cultural event that will bring the best of the Cypriot culture, food and industry to China and visa versa. This will be a unique opportunity for our people to experience up close the similarities and exciting diversity of our cultures.

There is a large number of Chinese students attending private tertiary institutions in Cyprus. A great number of Chinese students are enrolled in Higher Educational Institutions. Private institutions offer programs in various fields of study (e.g. secretarial studies, business administration, electrical civil and mechanical engineering, hotel and catering, banking accountancy and computer studies) with a duration of one to four years. Twenty tertiary education institutions are registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture and offer specific courses leading to the award of Certificate/ Diploma/ Degree. The process of educational accreditation has been put forward and 79 out of 147 programs of study have gained conditional accreditation. Now, job placement is based on the law of the market as in all parts of the world.

Question: Cyprus is composed of people from different ethnic groups. How does the government respect and protect ethnic diversity? What progress has been made so far?

Answer: The history of the island is an excellent indicator that Cyprus, due to its geographical position, has always been a melting pot where people from different parts of the world come together, cooperate and live in harmony. Our mission is not to assimilate immigrants but to allow them to feel welcomed and to pass the meaning of respect for their culture, customs and religion. Allow me to underline that there are no evidence indicating problems due to the culture diversity of the population of the island. In the Greek language the word for guest and a stranger is the same (xenos) another indicator showing how friendly and open the people of Cyprus in accepting people form different cultures and identities.

Question: The culture of Cyprus is based in Europe. In today's world of globalization, what measures will Cyprus take to maintain and further its own culture?

Answer: The island's cultural heritage, which has existed for thousands of years and is part of the common heritage of mankind, is being systematically and deliberately destroyed in the occupied areas. Greek Orthodox churches continue to be converted into mosques, vandalized or turned into entertainment centers while priceless treasures and works of art are smuggled out of the country or destroyed, in defiance of the relevant Resolutions and calls of European and International Organizations (such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, etc.) to stop the destruction and cooperate for the protection of the ancient and religious monuments of Cyprus.

Among recent examples of this policy, are:

Also, as the Turkish Cypriot newspaper "Ortam" wrote on 5.8.1997, the Byzantine church of the Holy Virgin, located between the villages of Acheritou and Prastio in the area of Famagusta, was completely looted.

Over 500 churches have been destroyed in an effort to turkify the occupied areas and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) is pursuing the matter with the Turkish side, so far unsuccessfully.

One should also place within this context of wholesale looting, the arrest by German authorities, in October 1997, of the Turkish citizen Hikmet Aydin Dikmen, in whose possession they found mosaics and icons which came from the looting of the Convent of Christ Antiphonetes and of the church of the Holy Virgin of Kanakaria. In the case of the church of Kanakaria, it must be stated that the United States Court of Appeals for the seventh circuit (Chicago) upheld on October 24th, 1990, an earlier decision of the district Court for the southern district of Indiana and ruled that mosaics stolen from that church should be returned to their rightful owners, namely the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

Besides outright looting, the occupation authorities have allowed many archaeological sites and religious monuments to be gradually eroded and destroyed through neglect, such as the ruins of ancient Enkomi, the monastery of the Apostle Andreas in Karpasia etc.

In a further effort to alter the historic character of those places, the names of villages, towns and places which had been used for centuries, are being arbitrarily changed to Turkish ones, in contravention of International Law and U.N. Resolutions on the standardization of geographical names. The government is taking all the legal precautions to stop or minimize actions such as the above that result in the alternation of the culture and history of the island.

By Shuiming Liu from People's Daily and Xueqing Jiang from Global Times