We do not know how our politicians came up with the idea that society has a moral duty to ensure that living conditions for students at public universities are as easy as possible. This idea is evident whenever deputies deal with student affairs, as was the case on Wednesday at the House education committee which discussed high Limassol rents that allegedly prevented many students from taking up places at the technical university Tepak.

After the meeting, Disy deputy Giorgos Karoullas lamented the fact that top students, despite having secured a place at Tepak chose to study at private universities in other towns because of the unaffordable housing in Limassol. This must be taken with a pinch of salt considering that students would have to pay hefty fees at a private university (public universities are completely free) plus rent for accommodation. Paying only for rent in Limassol would still be cheaper for a student than rent plus fees.

The real problem is the high expectations encouraged by pandering politicians. Students must not only live in quality accommodation, but it must also be affordable and close to the university so that they do not have to travel longer than 10 minutes to get there. Everything must be easy and comfortable for the pampered students at public universities, according to our deputies who complained because plans to build student apartments were not being implemented.

Apart from free university education, the taxpayer is also expected to offer students cheap housing with all mod cons close to the universities. Youths who study in big cities abroad, like Athens, Paris or London, might travel two or three hours to and from university every day, because they cannot afford accommodation any closer and they probably share accommodation with others. This has always been the experience of Cypriot students studying in big cities and they accept it; many had to supplement their income by doing part-time work.

Only in Cyprus do politicians seem to think that we must do everything for students, as if they are doing society a favour by studying for a degree. They are not. Too many youths are opting for university study, as things are, so society has no reason to offer incentives such as cheap accommodation or housing allowance (another political idea) to persuade them to get a degree. If they decide not to go to university, because the rents are too high, they probably were not that interested in a degree anyway. The Akel idea for a strategy to support students and their families so they could study in Cyprus is just too absurd for words.

There is always a solution. As Diko deputy, Chrysanthos Savvides said on Wednesday, many students from Paphos stayed with their parents’ and drove to Tepak in Limassol every day “as rents for a small apartment were between €800 and €1,000.” These students will get through university very cheaply their only real expense being travelling costs from Paphos to Limassol and back. We did not hear these students complain or demand support for their families.

In the end the problem of allegedly unaffordable housing preventing youths from being educated has been created by the parties’ student organisations and is being kept alive by populist politicians.