Ministry of Education insists on anti-communist propaganda
Statement by Christos Christofides, Head of the Education Bureau of the C.C. of AKEL
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 10th June 2016, Nicosia
The fact that the official position of the Ministry of Education and Culture seeks to confuse matters and avoids the substance of the issue proves two things: complicity and failure to address the crux of the matter.
The Ministry of Education issued a public reply that focused on Stalinism. It didn’t give a specific answer to the issue raised. That is to say, in the essay there is no reference whatsoever to Stalinism. In the essay itself reference is made to the Communist Party, socialism and fascism in an obvious attempt at equating. Furthermore, in the instructions to those marking papers there is a clear instruction those school pupils who will identify and equate socialism and communism with fascism will receive an excellent mark! There is no comment on the issue by the Ministry of Education. That is to say, the Ministry replies to non-existent issues. This attitude makes the Minister himself fully responsible and an accomplice. And because we know very well the behind the scenes scheming and what preceded, we put forth the following questions:
- Was there or was there not a fierce reaction among those setting the subject of exams and essays on an issue of ideological direction and ideological attack on a section of the children who were taking the exam?
- Why weren’t the strong disagreements expressed taken into account? What is the reason behind this deliberate imposition?
- Does this mean that those pupils who answered that socialism and communism are not the same as fascism will be marked with a zero? That is to say, will they be punished because they are correct and the unhistorical ‘historians’ chosen by the Ministry of Education as setting the topics are wrong? Will the school pupils be punished because they have a different view than those who want to cover up fascism?
The Minister of Education is terribly exposed. He is jointly responsible and guilty so long as he refuses to rectify the situation and continues to cover up this unacceptable situation.
