Editorial: Attention must be paid

The conditions in university dormitories which Ta Nea revealed in a report today can only evoke sadness.

Their abandonment has turned dormitories into mere warehouses of students.

There have been many charges of dangerous conditions such as hanging stripped electrical wires, inadequate lighting in common areas, and poor cleaning services.

In one of the buildings there has been no upkeep since 1970 when it was built.

The students who live in dormitories come from less affluent families.

This is yet another reason to expedite the upkeep of these buildings and their reconstruction wherever necessary.

The state has a duty to demonstrate with actions its care for these students who without the economic means of their peers managed to gain admission to university.

For the students who come from more affluent families and can pay for expensive tutoring admission to university is a success. For the poorer it is a Herculean labour.

Beyond symbolism there are any other reasons for the state to be caring, from safety to fundamental self-respect.

The state cannot pack hundreds of students into dormitories that were built to accommodate far fewer.

A state that has squandered so much of taxpayers’ money has no right to be so frugal in funding university dormitories.

Care must be shown.

Attention must paid – immediately.