Newsroom
President Nikos Christodoulides is trying to shift a long-standing mindset in Cyprus: that technical schools are not a “second option" but a real and important path for students’ futures.
On a visit to the Makarios III Technical and Vocational School, the president met students and teachers and made a clear case for expanding technical education across the island, saying the government wants more young people to choose this path.
He said Cyprus is already changing direction, with new technical gymnasiums introduced for the first time and plans to expand them from two to four schools, with more to come. Curricula are also being updated, and new technical schools are planned in several districts.
But beyond the policy announcements, Christodoulides acknowledged something many Cypriots will recognize: for decades, technical education was not really part of the country’s “default” mindset.
In Cyprus, the traditional path has long leaned heavily toward academic studies, university degrees, professional careers, and a strong social emphasis on higher education. Technical schools, for many families, were often seen as something for students who were not heading to university, rather than a first-choice route.
That, he said, needs to change.
“We want more of our children to follow technical education,” he told students, adding that attitudes in society are finally starting to shift.
For today’s students, that shift is important. It means more options after high school, not just the academic track but also practical skills-based education that leads directly to work in fields like engineering, construction, hospitality, and new technologies.
Christodoulides stressed that students in technical schools are “the future of Cyprus" and said the government is investing in modern equipment, updated teaching methods, and stronger links to the labor market.
He also highlighted a broader issue: fairness.
The government, he said, has a responsibility to make sure all young people, including those in special education, have equal opportunities. That includes pathways either into higher education or straight into work, depending on their abilities and choices.
A wider policy for special education is being prepared, involving several ministries, with announcements expected before September.
For many Cypriot families, especially parents of teenagers deciding what comes next, the message is clear: there is now more than one “correct” path.
Still, changing culture takes time. In a country where university degrees have long been seen as the main ticket to success, technical education is only now gaining the recognition policymakers say it deserves.
And for students sitting in classrooms today, that shift could mean something simple but powerful, more freedom to choose a future that fits them, not just tradition.
