Universities in Cyprus selling empty degrees to Africa, says Paphos mayor

Mayor of Paphos in south Cyprus Phedonas Phedonos last week questioned the validity of online university courses, saying that people were buying degrees by the thousands in Africa without actually having attended the courses.

On Friday, University of Cyprus rector Tasos Christofides called on the mayor to name the universities and urged authorities to investigate and take measures wherever necessary.

Speaking on a podcast with MEP Fidias Panayiotou, Phedonos said certain Cypriot universities were handing out thousands of degrees to students in Africa and warned that “this scandal will soon break in Cyprus”.

“We will be in foreign media and it will say that we sold a thousand or two thousand degrees in Africa,” Phedonos is seen saying in the video posted on social media.

Phedonos’ remarks caused the reaction of Christofides, who called on the mayor to name the universities.

He said Phedonos’ statements were “very serious” and “expose the country abroad”.

“I call on the dear mayor of Paphos to name the universities operating in this way so that no shadows are cast over the validity of the degrees students obtain with great effort and sacrifice,” Christofides said.

The rector called on the police and other authorities to look into the matter and impose sanctions were necessary.