"TRNC" UNIVERSITIES: A (STUNTED) GROWTH INDUSTRY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NICOSIA 001767

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE; EUR/ERA; ECA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV OEXC PREL KPAO CY TU
SUBJECT: "TRNC" UNIVERSITIES: A (STUNTED) GROWTH INDUSTRY


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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Turkish Cypriot higher education
system has developed into an important source of income for
the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" and pride for the
community. Recent developments, however, call into question
the viability of the education sector. Expanded capacity in
Turkey's university system has eaten into the number of
mainlanders wishing to study here, while more stringent
standards in the GOT-administered university entrance exam
have cut back the number of qualified "overflow" students on
whom the north's college system relies. Meanwhile, the
advent of the EU's Erasmus Program, and other similar
programs in which "unrecognized" Turkish Cypriot universities
cannot participate, has lessened the appeal of the north's
schools for paying customers from elsewhere. Although
Turkish Cypriots are inclined to blame all their woes
(educational and otherwise) on this kind of "isolation," the
comparably poor quality of the north's university system has
also played a part. The "TRNC" will need to address these
shortcomings, as well as find ways to cope with its
universities' ambiguous institutional arrangements, if the
Turkish Cypriot higher education system is to reach its full
potential as an engine of sustainable economic growth. END
SUMMARY.

"TRNC" 101
--------------


2. (SBU) Thanks in part to an Ataturkian belief in the
merits of learning -- as well as a desire to keep up with the
more prosperous and traditionally better-educated Greek
Cypriots -- the "TRNC's" higher education system has
developed into a highly-regarded part of Turkish Cypriot
culture. It also plays an important role in the economy.
Six post-secondary institutions exist in the north, all of
which are four-year, western-style institutions catering to
students from the "TRNC," Turkey, and third countries as
well. Although mainland Turks account for a majority of the
north's university students, the schools also attract
significant numbers of students from the Middle East -- Iran,
in particular. In 2005, 31,080 students attended
universities in the north: 20,436 Turkish nationals, 8,059
Turkish Cypriots and 2,585 third-country nationals.


3. (SBU) "TRNC" universities have long made most of their
money catching "overspill" from Turkey. In many cases, these
were students who did not perform well enough on the Turkish
entrance exam to qualify for admission into a mainland
university. Although the north's universities have made an
effort to improve the quality of their product and recruit
from other countries, the institutional ties that bind
Turkish Cypriot universities to mainland Turkey (Turkish
Cypriot schools are subject to the Turkish state
accreditation and admissions program YOK) have so far meant
that Turkish citizens make up the majority of the student
body.


4. (SBU) The primary language of instruction at all
universities in the north is English, and full-time one-year
preparatory classes are generally available to ready students
for English-language instruction. Turkish Cypriot university
recruiters use English-language instruction as a selling
point to attract students who wish to work in the
international arena -- and as a means to "sift" through
prospective applicants. Anecdotal evidence suggests that
Turkish remains the lingua franca for most students, since
many graduates from the north's universities (including
several who have applied for jobs at the Embassy) clearly
have difficulty speaking and writing in English.

The University Lineup
--------------


5. (SBU) The "TRNC" university system comprises five
institutions as well as one Turkish university. A quick
glance at the north,s post-secondary schools illustrates how
they vary considerably in size and quality:

-- Eastern Mediterranean University. Based in Famagusta, EMU
is the largest and most reputable institution in northern
Cyprus; as of 2005, EMU had 14,063 enrolled students. EMU is
home to 10 academic departments offering 59 courses of study
(from bachelor's degrees to PhDs) in varied disciplines such
as Engineering, Communications Studies and English
Literature. EMU is the only "state" school in the north, and
therefore has the mixed blessing of more state funding

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accompanied by more rigid labor rules. The current
U.S.-educated rector has drawn significant fire from EMU's
unionized workers for his (as yet only moderately successful)
efforts to introduce more rigid quality control over faculty,
such as introducing an unpopular requirement that they
participate in more research and publication to "stay sharp"
in their respective fields. EMU is accredited by several
European organizations, and the Engineering program is
accredited by the American Board for Engineering and
Technology, ABET.

-- Near East University. The largest private "TRNC"
university based in northern Nicosia, Near East University
had a total 8,808 students in 2005. NEU prides itself on its
"international" identity, and points out that students come
to the school from 18 different countries. NEU has seven
faculties with 20 departments, and notably offers a Tourism
and Hospitality Management degree. NEU is also the only
university in the north with its own boat, which is used for
Maritime Studies courses as well as Tourism training. NEU is
accredited only in Turkey, by YOK.

-- European University of Lefke. This non-profit university
was founded in 1990 by the Cyprus Science Foundation, an
organization dedicated to providing higher education. In
2005, 2,309 students attended EUL. Although the university's
stated objective at the time of its founding was to attract a
student body with 50 percent of stQts hailing from third
countries (i.e., not Turkish or Turkish Cypriot),in 2005,
81 percent of enrolled students at EUL were nonetheless from
Turkey. EUL offers 21 undergraduate courses of study and
nine graduate degrees. EUL holds YOK accreditation.
Additionally, EUL recently established a study-abroad program
with Coventry University in the United Kingdom, which allows
EUL students to study two years in Cyprus and two in England.

-- Cyprus International University. Established in 1996 in a
suburb of Nicosia, CIU offers a limited menu of collegiate
majors, including business administration and graphic design.
In 2005, 2,480 students were enrolled at CIU. CIU offers 18
YOK accredited undergraduate degree programs, along with
three graduate programs. In addition to the YOK
accreditation, CIU programs are also accredited by the
Federation of Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW).

-- Girne American University. Girne American University,
whose website features a bold representation of the American
Flag and a logo furtively similar to the seal of the State
Department, provides access to an "American-based higher
education," and, by enrollment, is moderately successful in
doing so: GAU has the third-largest student body in the
"TRNC" with 3,420 enrolled students in 2005. GAU was founded
in 1985 as an independent, non-profit institution, and grants
undergraduate degrees in 21 disciplines and graduate degrees
in Business and Economics. GAU's business degrees hold a
narrow accreditation in the U.S., and all degrees are
YOK-accredited.

-- Middle East Technical University ("TRNC" Campus). Already
an established university on the Turkish mainland, METU
opened a northern Cyprus campus in 2003, and became fully
operational as of 2005. The school is located near Morphou
and was built in an attempt to spur economic growth in the
surrounding area; so far, this renewal has been only
moderately successful. Eight programs of study are
available, mainly in the fields of Engineering and Economic
and Administrative Science; all programs are four years,
culminating with the receipt a bachelor's degree, which,
according to METU, is comparable to a degree from the Turkish
mainland campus. While newly established with only a limited
number of students attending the university, METU officials
forecast that 6,000 students will be enrolled by 2015. Entry
standards for METU North Cyprus are higher than those of
other universities in the "TRNC."

An Economic Engine
--------------


6. (U) These six schools have developed into an important
source of income for the Turkish Cypriot economy. Turkish
Cypriot officials estimate that revenue from university
education is equivalent to one million tourists annually in
terms of economic impact; officials also estimate that each
university student contributes the equivalent of over 10,000
USD each year to the north's economy. Thus, the

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higher-education sector has been designated a priority by
Turkish Cypriot officials. In 2004, eight percent of the
"TRNC" GDP could be attributed to spending on public
education institutions, a much higher figure than most EU
countries. Along with Turkey, the "TRNC" continues to
finance new investment projects in the market for education.

Concern for the Future
--------------


7. (SBU) Indications suggest that there are problems on the
gravy train, however. University sources confirm a 58
percent drop in enrollment of Turkish nationals in 2006.
This statistic has distressed officials in the north;
returning from a recent trip to Pakistan, "TRNC President"
Mehmet Ali Talat issued a dramatic appeal for the "Turkish
world" to send more students to northern Cyprus.


8. (SBU) There are several theories behind the recent
drop-off in enrollments. We understand that five new private
universities have recently opened in Turkey, and are
reportedly corralling students who otherwise may have studied
in northern Cyprus. Similarly, more stringent standards in
the YOK-administered Turkish university exam have reportedly
cut back the number of qualified Turkish "overflow" students
on whom the north's system has traditionally relied. Our
contacts in Turkish Cypriot universities claim that YOK has
reworked the IQ-test-like exam to include achievement-based
material. Traditionally, students who aspire to enter
universities spend the majority of their final year of
secondary school in test-preparation centers instead of
attending classes. Accordingly, these students had a
difficult time passing the achievement part of the new exam,
having little substantive instruction in the last year of
high school. Out of approximately 1.7 million Turkish
test-takers, 268,000 students normally passed the math
portion of the old test; however, this year, only 150,000
passed, leaving a deficit of 118,000 Turkish students. Given
that the students' first choice will always be a free state
school or scholarship to a private university, the private
universities will suffer. As far as Turkish students are
concerned, all universities in north Cyprus are private, with
additional expenses for transportation plus a high cost of
living. Many Turkish Cypriots say these factors account for
the shortfall in students coming to the north this year -- a
gap Turkish Cypriots hope will close once students in Turkey
are able to catch up with the new exam material.


9. (SBU) Other factors are also at play. Although Turkish
Cypriots are quick to blame all their problems on
"isolation," there is some truth to the claim that being
somewhat cut off from the outside world -- thanks in part to
Greek Cypriot policies -- has prevented the north's
universities from developing a more attractive product
capable of luring in better students. Turkish Cypriot
universities, for example, cannot participate in the EU's
Erasmus program, which encourages transnational cooperation
between universities, supports exchange programs, and
provides for the mutual recognition and portability of
degrees. Turkish Cypriot universities, which are not
"recognized" by the Republic of Cyprus, are excluded from
joining Erasmus and similar programs thanks to an intensive
RoC lobbying effort within the EU (where it wields a veto in
many fora) and outside it as well. Greek Cypriots often
mobilize their overseas diaspora to prevent U.S. and other
western universities from entering into institutional
relationships with Turkish Cypriot universities, most of
which are built on Greek Cypriot owned land in the north.
With no guarantee that their degrees will be accepted outside
Turkey and the "TRNC," qualified students from Turkey, the
Turkish Cypriot community and third countries have a strong
incentive to take their business elsewhere.


10. (SBU) Finally, Turkish Cypriot universities must contend
with questions about the quality of education they provide.
With the possible exception of EMU (which has earned
accreditation from ABET and other prominent organizations)
and METU (which enjoys reflected glow from its prestigious
mainland mother ship),Turkish Cypriot universities suffer
from a fly-by-night reputation. This may be slightly unfair,
but it is nonetheless true that, by objective measures such
as accreditation and publications by faculty, Turkish Cypriot
universities hardly compare to schools in Turkey or the EU,
which are their main competitors.


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COMMENT
--------------


12. (SBU) Whether the result of Greek Cypriot pressure,
institutional isolation, changes in the Turkish system, or
the comparatively poor quality of their product, Turkish
Cypriot universities must contend with several severe
handicaps. Nevertheless, the "TRNC" will almost certainly
continue to invest in its higher learning infrastructure
because the education sector has developed into such an
important part of the economy. The current drop-off in
enrollment may only be a temporary blip which could force
some universities to close departments, cut back spending or
find other ways to deal with the decreased demand in the
short run. In the long run, however, the north's
universities must address the dual challenge of improving
their product while finding a way to survive with an
ambiguous legal and accreditation status.
SCHLICHER