Seven years after the law was passed, the Justice Ministry was close to announcing the operation of a Driver Offenders’ Training School in Nicosia and Limassol this month. The plan stalled, however, when the sole private bidder in the tender process failed to meet one of the required conditions, leading to its cancellation.
According to information obtained by Politis, the rejected bidder, linked to the university sector, did not file an appeal within the deadline.
New effort to attract bidders
The ministry now intends to hold a short round of consultations in September with universities, colleges and training centres licensed by the Human Resource Development Authority. Officials hope to adjust the tender terms to draw more participants before relaunching the process in October, with the aim of opening the school next April.
The cancellation was also guided by advice from the Public Procurement Authority.
Who will attend the school
Under the law, two categories of drivers will attend the school, mandatory and voluntary.
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Mandatory: Drivers ordered by the court, those banned from driving for three months or more, or those who have accumulated 16 penalty points within a year.
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Voluntary: Drivers with 10 points or more who choose to attend in order to reduce their record.
Attendance will be free for those referred by the courts, while voluntary participants will pay a fee.
Responsibilities of the operator
The chosen operator will be responsible for:
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Designing and delivering specialised courses based on the type of offences committed.
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Holding examinations and practical assessments.
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Issuing certificates of successful completion.
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Informing the ministry, police and electronic registry of attendance or failure to comply.
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Collaborating with academic and training institutions in Cyprus and abroad to update curricula and adopt best practices.
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Recruiting academic staff and monitoring programme effectiveness.
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Keeping detailed statistical records.