Technical and vocational education in Cyprus : an evaluation of its success (or failure?) and its main problems

Abstract

The present study represents a case study of the Technical and vocational Education (TYE) system, particularly its Secondary level (STVE). of the small island state of Cyprus. It constitutes an attempt to evaluate its success or failure over time and point out the main problems that hinder its further development. It also attempts a brief look into its future prospects within the environment of the European Union, which Cyprus expects to join in the near future, and make suggestions for improvements in its provision. Initially, the historic, political, economic and educational context, within which the Cyprus TVE has developed up to the present day, is presented. Particular attention is paid to the largely failed efforts by the British colonisers to establish vocational schools on the Island and, subsequently, to the more successful efforts by the Governments of the Republic of Cyprus after independence in 1960. The controversy that these efforts sparked off on whether there should be a general or a vocational education for the children of Cypriots and its effects on the development of the Cyprus TVE is also cited. This controversy is examined within the context of arguments for and against TVR in the long-lasting debate in international literature on "Technical vs. Liberal education". The main effort of this study is to answer an evaluation question: "Can the Cyprus STVE be considered to be a success or a failure?" Three criteria are employed in this effort: (a) the share of STVE in upper secondary education, (b) the returns to the graduates of STVE and (c) the views of the teachers/trainers in Technical/Vocational schools on how successful they regard STVE to be. The author considers the final answer to this question as a basically economic matter, since the ultimate purpose of TVE is to serve the needs of the economy. Particular attention, where applicable, is paid to the implications of the smallness of the Cyprus economy on the development of STVE on the Island.