The north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) on Friday suspended the operation of 29 programmes at Morphou’s Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU) – the university upon which the north’s “fake diploma scandal” has centred.

Among the programmes suspended are the university’s bachelor’s programmes in nursing, business administration, and veterinary medicine, master’s programmes in oral and maxillofacial surgery, physiotherapy, and orthodontics, and doctorate programmes in clinical psychology, prosthetic dentistry, and pharmacy.

In addition, Yodak revoked its permission to start the operation of 23 programmes.

The fake diploma scandal rocked the north’s education sector last year, with numerous high-profile figures having been arrested so far and cases now making their way through the courts.

KSTU secretary-general and 30-per-cent shareholder Serdal Gunduz will next appear in court on March 18, while former ‘education minister’ Kemal Durust, who served three separate stints in the role between 2009 and 2016, is also set to go on trial for his role in the scandal.

Elsewhere, his wife and high-level civil servant Meray Durust, former chairman of the north’s higher education accreditation authority (Yodak) Turgay Avci and board member Mehmet Hasguler, and Ersin Tatar’s bodyguard Serif Avcil have all also been arrested.

Elsewhere, a committee comprising five ‘MPs’ was formed to examine a request filed by the north’s chief public prosecutor’s office to lift the immunity of ruling coalition party UBP ‘MP’ Emrah Yesilirmak over his alleged involvement in the scandal.

Yesilirmak received a degree in business administration from the KSTU, with rumours surrounding the possibility it was forged having first surfaced in February last year.

He has insisted throughout the last 13 months that he is innocent, and that while the KSTU may have been involved in crime, he fulfilled his obligations to receive a degree.

Late last year, Yodak’s application to continue its affiliate membership of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (Enqa) was not accepted, with the north’s universities effectively set to lose their international recognition if this is not resolved.

Current Yodak chairman Aykut Hocanin said in November that the issue “must be resolved” before a scheduled Enqa members’ forum in Paphos in April, as if the decision is taken at that forum, “it is likely that such a decision will be negative there”.

That members’ forum is set to begin on Wednesday, with no progress yet having been made on that front.