The Department of Forests is engaged in a race to complete the necessary procedures for the implementation of the decision of the Council of Ministers to reopen the Cyprus Forestry College, from 1 January 2025, with the status of a School of Higher Education, after its closure 10 years ago. The reopening of the course of studies in Forestry, aims at the proper staffing and proper operation of the Department of Forests, in terms of fire protection of state forests and the countryside.
The Director of the Forestry Department, Dr. Savvas Iezekiel told Entrepreneurial Limassol that the Department will have to formulate the curriculum for the Forestry College, cooperate with the Ministry of Education in preparing the exams to be taken by the students who will attend the College and that in general there is a large amount of work to be done in the coming months.
According to the Director, the Forestry Department is already preparing the regulations for the Forestry College and a meeting has been arranged with the Department of Public Administration and Personnel for consultative purposes in this regard so that the work can proceed properly. Dr. Savvas Ezekiel informed us that at this time there is no core staff at this time. "We have the Director of the institution, two clerical staff and a colleague as a trainer," he said specifically. He added that there is a significant number of shortage in lecturers, (an area to which both staff from the Forestry Department and other departments such as the Meteorology Department, from which an officer will be recruited, and the Geological Survey Department will contribute. There will also be further collaboration with external teachers who will join the teaching staff of the Forestry College).
The Director of the Forestry Department noted that in parallel, the upgrading of the Forestry College facilities is underway, which should be ready to receive the first students by September 2025. He indicated that the upgrading of the wing of the building is already underway and based on the schedule set and the budget allocated, it will be delivered next October. "With the new year we will start the rest of the upgrades in the building so to be ready on time," Dr Ezekiel added.
As he told us, the curriculum has been prepared by the Forestry College and has been submitted to the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Body of Higher Education for approval, while it has also been checked by external professors. "The reopening of the Forestry College is a joyful event for the citizens of the area, as it is part of the history of the Forestry Department and for 50 to 60 years it has provided it with forestry personnel, excellent in firefighting and with excellent knowledge of forests and forest ecosystems. These personnel contributed on two levels, the management and protection of the forests and the protection of the local environment. At last, the institution will continue its course from where it has been interrupted," he said, wanting to convey the importance of this development.
The Director of the Department of Forestry finally said that based on the great need for forestry staff in the department, it has been decided to recruit around 25 to 30 students in the first year. The next year around 20 and in the process, they will be reduced until they reach the level where they study and recruit (in 3 to 4 years) the same number as those who will leave the Department.
The Cyprus Forestry College is a public school of higher education under the Department of Forests and was established in 1951 by the then British colonial government.
