Construction on the Tepak Tourism School of and the American University of Beirut (AUB Mediterraneo) are progressing at a rapid pace, Director of the Paphos Chamber of Commerce, Marinos Stylianou, announced on Friday.
Paphos has up until now invested almost exclusively in two sectors, tourism and land development, Stylianou told CNA, which left its economy vulnerable to seasonality and variability as recent events have borne out.
During the summer months the city is bustling with life and in the winter season it looks desolate, Stylianou said, which is why making Paphos an educational hub will be a historical milestone for the city.
If everything goes according to plan, the first students are expected as of September 2023, and the district stands poised to benefit economically, socially, and culturally, setting a precedent for the establishment of other educational institutions.
Groundwork for the creation of a medical school in the city of Paphos is also underway, Stylianou said, which as well as bringing the benefits of an educational institution, will also upgrade health services for the district’s residents.
“The local community will begin to experience the [benefits from these developments] in five years […] prosperity and progress,” Stylianou said.
Elsewhere in Limassol, the city’s mayor Nikos Nikolaidis, met with the Limassol Chamber of Commerce director and the rector of Tepak to discuss expansion of the university’s resources through development of three sites: the city’s old hospital, the first technical school, and the former British settlement “Berengaria” in Polemidia.
Additionally, plans for a technology park in Pentakomos, a matter that has been pending for years, were discussed.
Tepak’s rector, Panagiotis Zafeiris, for his part said the Ministry of Health responded positively to the university’s proposal to create a school of health and co-manage a health centre in the old hospital, to serve the public and allow students to do their practical training.
Zafeiris added that the Berengaria project is expected to be awarded to a contractor in the spring, and construction of sports fields, research facilities and student residences will begin immediately.