The student grant is worth half what it should be, the House Education Committee heard on Wednesday, as it gave the government 15 days to respond to a raft of law proposals on student welfare.
Parliament members again told the session they were receiving complaints and reports of young people forced to abandon their studies because of costs, even at public universities, where tuition may be free but other expenses are unaffordable.
On current figures, the grant should be about 3,000 euros but is half that, the committee heard. It was set at 1,000 Cyprus pounds in the 1990s.
Committee chairman Chrysanthos Savvides of the Democratic Party (DIKO) estimated that four years of study, even at a public university, could cost a total of 60,000 euros. Many students study in a different town from where they live, so they face rent, food and possibly fuel costs, he said.
The proposals, tabled by almost all parliament members, seek to fix flaws in the student grant and the wider student welfare scheme. Members said the education and finance ministries had given no specific answers on them, and the government was asked to set out precisely where it agrees and disagrees.
The committee was not satisfied with the position of the Law Office of the Republic that some of the proposals are unconstitutional because they would increase the state budget. It called for clear policies and planning to ease the problems raised.
The rising cost of living and its effect on groups such as large families also featured in the discussion. Representatives of large families said some eligibility criteria needed to be relaxed so that their children could qualify for student welfare.
Problems with student housing in Nicosia and Limassol were also raised, as the discussion turned to student halls of residence.
