Nicosia, Cyprus. Akel submitted a bill to parliament on Tuesday calling for the abolition of the social support agency within three months and the transfer of its responsibilities and resources to the state scholarships foundation.
Bill proposal and co-signatories
Presenting the proposal, Akel general secretary Stefanos Stefanou said the bill, co-signed by Disy MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis and Independent MP Alexandra Attalides, provides for the scholarships foundation to assume all assets, rights and liabilities thereafter.
Concerns over institutional entanglement
Stefanou said Akel was calling for abolition rather than improvement, saying it had been proven in practice that the agency creates conditions of “institutional entanglement.”
He argued that the agency’s operation within the presidential palace and its reliance on sponsorships from businessmen and companies involved in public works fosters a “special relationship” that fuels public suspicion, referring to concerns raised by the audit service in a special report published last November.
Stefanou said the government bypassed the report and opposed efforts to ensure transparency over the agency’s sponsors.
He said Akel did not dismiss the agency’s contribution but that public concerns should be addressed in practice, particularly amid concerns about entanglement and corruption.
Student welfare and state policy
Stefanou said the agency’s approach reduces student support to charity rather than a coherent state policy governed by clear social criteria, transparency and meritocracy.
He said student welfare should be an institutional obligation of the state rather than charity exchanged for votes and other benefits.
Funding levels and eligibility criteria
Stefanou said state funding had fallen from €70 million in 2013 to €48 million today, with €19.2 million cut under the Anastasiades administration and a further €2.8 million under the current government.
He said thousands of students are excluded each year because income and asset criteria have remained unchanged for more than a decade despite inflation and rising living costs.
Do you support transferring the agency’s responsibilities and resources to the state scholarships foundation?
