Over 30,000 foreign students living illegally in north Cyprus: TRNC member of parliament

There are approximately about 30,000 foreign students living illegally in north Cyprus, according to the information received from the Immigration Office by Turkish Cypriot opposition figure. 

The Republican Turkish Party (CTP ) Deputy Sami Özuslu made the revelation during a speech in parliament on Tuesday, March, 12. 

In his speech titled "Our Higher Education Story", Sami Özuslu said that, in line with the information he obtained from the Immigration Office, around 63,000 students from the Republic of Turkey and other countries were given the right to enter the TRNC through legal means, and that there were approximately 30,000 illegal/missing students.

He noted that 11,000 of these 30,000 people are Turkish nationals, adding that the whereabouts of these illegal people are unknown, but the police find them every night.

He noted that opening a university should not be this easy and that it would not be right to give preliminary permission to 36 universities and emphasized that this is unique in the world. He said the fact that there are 8 universities in Malta is important in terms of setting an example.

Özuslu pointed out that it is very difficult to obtain accurate information on the subject and stated that healthy decisions cannot be made in a state without data. 

Özusku explained that according to the figures he received from the Chamber of Tradesmen and Craftsmen, 150 people applied for the journeyman exam, but the number of registered students is much higher.

Özuslu  said that the information about the students seen in the system called EKAS  is very frightening, and that it should be prevented that the people who should be under the responsibility of the schools are missing on paper.

He pointed out that the situation is obvious if the audit is not carried out and the powers are not used and stated that "The government has failed in terms of auditing."

He argued that it is wrong to see education as a sector and emphasized that the field of education has been seriously damaged calling on the quality to be improved.