TRNC aims to bring more students to the island and start face-to-face education by April

The TRNC aim to start hybrid education (diluted education, where face-to-face education is combined with distance education) in schools in the first week of April.

TRNC Minister of National Education and Culture Olgun Amcaoğlu sated that they are also working on the vaccination program in order to provide quality education in schools.

Noting that the necessary steps have been taken to eliminate problems in higher education and to enable students to continue their education face-to-face, Amcaoğlu said that 6 thousand students came to the island already and that 14 thousand students will come to the island and continue their education by the end of the month. 

The Minister noted that nearly 70 thousand of 82 thousand students in the country are foreign students, while nearly 13 thousand of these students are TRNC citizens.

Amcaoğlu said that not only foreign nationals who are experiencing problems but all students. He said the government is following the students by reaching 21 university rectors and that the problems will be directly conveyed not only to the universities but also to the officials within the ministry. 

Amcaoğlu said that foreign students used to work part-time before the pandemic period and pay their fees with the money they earned, without paying any taxes, noting that the problems in the country and education have increased due to the problems experienced all over the world.

"There are the same problems not only for foreign students, but also for our own children, the Minister said adding that they are trying to overcome the problems together and that they are making plans.

The Minister noted that they had a discussion with Turkey on how to improve the quantity and quality of students by increasing student numbers in order to overcome the shortcomings of higher education in the TRNC.

Amcaoğlu also stated that an initiative has been initiated to bring approximately 70 thousand active foreign students living abroad to the island, drawing attention to the importance of students in higher education under the control and supervision of the state to start their schools in a healthy way after the quarantine process.

"Target is 14 thousand students by the end of the month ..."

Until the end of the month, 14 thousand students are planned to come to the island, and that 17,500 people will come to the island to take applied courses to graduate in higher education.

Amcaoğlu stated that after the start of face-to-face education in higher education, tourism services will be opened up. 

Stating that with the right vaccination strategy after June, the country's services sector and all sectors under it will stand up and the problems experienced in small and medium-sized enterprises in economic terms will be overcome.

"Vaccination plan will be made"

Stating that planning about vaccination should be known, Amcaoğlu stated that they had to do the vaccination program after meeting with authorized unions, directors and interlocutors in order to clarify the academic calendar and finalize it.