High rents a barrier for students
AKEL meets with a delegation from the Progressive Movement of Students ‘Proodeftiki’
19 September 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia
A meeting took place at the offices of the Central Committee of AKEL TODAY between an AKEL delegation and a delegation from the Progressive Movement of Students “PROODEFTIKI”.
During the meeting, the cost of rents was discussed, which, in conjunction with the overall increase in the cost of living, is the biggest problem students and their families are facing currently. For years students have been facing this particular issue. However, in recent years it has become even more acute as rents have been rising sharply. In addition, the increases in fuel costs is now preventing those who in recent years have chosen to commute from their place of residence to their city of study because of the high rents.
The insufficient number of halls of residence at the two public universities in Cyprus and the large number of students attending them inevitably force students to rent accommodation, with rents being excessively high. The same problem exists for students from private universities, as the dormitories around them are private and the rents are prohibitively high.
As a result of the very high rents students are forced to either work or even terminate their studies in order to be able to afford them.
Unfortunately, the inability of students to find cheap student accommodation is the result of the government’s failure to elaborate a comprehensive housing policy, which includes student accommodation.
During the meeting, AKEL briefed the “Proodeftiki’ delegation on the Party’s positions and proposals on housing policy. In particular AKEL stressed that the Party is always by the side of the student movement and supports the demand for affordable student accommodation.
