State universities should offer places to private school graduates with international qualifications, parents of children attending private high schools said on Wednesday.

Representatives of parents and guardians of private school children delivered a memorandum to the Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou and the House education committee chairman Pavlos Mylonas, requesting public universities offer places to students with international access qualifications such as A levels.

This can be done without depriving public school graduates of a single place, the parents said, citing the relevant legislation.

They said that since 2009, the legislation allows all public universities in Cyprus to offer excess places to public and private school graduates based on recognised these qualifications.

However, for the past 13 years, this law has not been implemented because of specific administrative regulations which have not yet passed.

Thus, thousands of Cypriot students with excellent results in international examinations, who are accepted by most universities worldwide, are being deprived of the right to study in local state tertiary institutions.

The memorandum called on the education ministry and the parliament as well as the attorney general, to take the necessary initiatives without further delay, to allow private school graduates to attend public universities.