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DE RUEHNC #1767/01 2861330
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 131330Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY NICOSIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7040
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4754
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 3692
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1007
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1085
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

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 
 
 
NICOSIA 00001767  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶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 
 
NICOSIA 00001767  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
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 
 
NICOSIA 00001767  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
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. 
 
 
NICOSIA 00001767  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
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