The School of Philosophy at the University of Cyprus on Friday responded to statements by AKEL Nicosia MP Christos Christofides regarding the alleged “repeated persecution of a professor due to political beliefs at the School of Philosophy” and “this person being targeted for dismissal primarily because of his political views.”
The Council of the School of Philosophy, as highlighted in a relevant statement, categorically rejects the above claims as “completely unsubstantiated, offensive, and undermining the evaluation procedures of academic staff members, which are inviolable institutions for a public institution of higher education with the prestige of the University of Cyprus.”
Simultaneously, it calls on Christofides, “a politician who holds two degrees and a postgraduate title from the University of Cyprus and is as present as any other colleague in our academic daily life,” to immediately submit any evidence supporting his allegations to the university authorities.
The statement of the School of Philosophy is as follows:
The Council of the School of Philosophy of the University of Cyprus was informed with astonishment during its regular meeting on February 21, 2024, of the recent statements (February 14 and 17) of Nicosia MP Christos Christofides, regarding “repeated persecution of a professor due to political beliefs at the School of Philosophy” and “this person being targeted for dismissal primarily because of his political views.”
The first reference was made during a discussion in the House of Representatives’ Education Committee, followed by a similar statement by the MP to the press.
The Council of the School of Philosophy categorically rejects the above claims as completely unsubstantiated, offensive, and undermining the evaluation procedures of academic staff members, which are inviolable institutions for a public institution of higher education with the prestige of the University of Cyprus.
Simultaneously, it calls on Mr. Christofides, a politician who holds two degrees and a postgraduate title from the University of Cyprus and is as present as any other colleague in our academic daily life, to immediately submit any evidence supporting his allegations to the university authorities.
Such baseless and unsubstantiated accusations not only tarnish the academic ethos and moral integrity of the members of our academic staff and the University of Cyprus Senate itself but also offend and undermine the thousands of our graduates, students, and alumnae, for whose education and intellectual cultivation we labour daily in an alien environment for the humanities.
