If you build it, they will come…
E DII TO RII A L
It is unfortunate that during one of his ribboncutting obligations, President Anastasiades did not raise the importance of education at the Troodos development conference.
He was full of praise for his friend, Yiannis Papadouris, who undertook the cost of conducting a survey, commissioned by the University of Thessalia and others, the results of which are to be debated during a scientific symposium, concluding in a new strategy for the greater Troodos area.
It is no wonder that Papadouris undertook this responsibility, as he has invested millions to develop the Casale Panayiotis spa and resort, and by extension breathed fresh life into the once-neglected Kalopanayiotis village and surrounding area.
At least, he has shown more interest than all our politicians put together.
But by his own admission, President Anastasiades has done little in the past five years to find ways to develop the rural mountain areas, where a diminishing population has hampered economic development, apart from the occasional agritourism project dotted around the island.
Instead of commissioning a study on rural development where academics can tell us how to revive the economy in the mountain communities and remote villages, the solution was right under our nose. A solution politicians failed to see, and government officials did not appreciate.
Simply, the now-abandoned Forestry College should have been revived and rebranded the Forestry and Environmental Development College.
It could offer courses in climate change, rural tourism development, preserving cultural heritage, social and health issues of remote and ageing communities, micro-farming, and so many other subjects for which there is great demand everywhere else apart from Cyprus.
The revival would also put an end to the brain-drain of youngsters leaving their villages never to return, apart from summer holidays.
But then, the problem would be where to house the college, which state university or government department would have jurisdiction over its administration, and what jobs could be promised (and votes earned) by our politicians.
Instead, the Forestry College has been allowed to die a quiet death, with Cyprus no longer being able to produce home-grown forestry workers, possibly relying on imported knowledge from now on.
And if funding had been the problem for shutting down the Forestry College, then this could have been a joint effort of all higher educational institutions, as it would have to be a non-profit by nature but would see a strong return on investment a few generations down the line. One source of income would be for the state to evict all those freeloaders who occupy government houses and pay a derisible rent.
These homes could be refurbished and rented out in the open market, earning the state enough money to pay for the new college.
To re-tweak a famous phrase from the film Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come” could not be truer in this case, as Papadouris has proven with his own private initiative.