The conservatism and authoritarianism of a Minister – Article by Eleni Mavrou, AKEL Political Bureau member

 

Sunday 11 September 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

Schools have opened too. The failure and exposure of one of the most important Ministries for the country’s future and the unsuitability of its political head were revealed in the most inacceptable way.

A few weeks ago, the Minister of Education, Prodromos Prodromou, assured us that “the new school year will be a new year with expectations and hopes”.

In the meantime, the only specific things the Education Minister had to announce were the extension of the problematic four-monthly exam system to high schools (before its implementation in Lyceums and Technical Schools had actually been evaluated) and…the establishment of an Archive of the History of Education in Cyprus!

Other than that, the Education Minister told us that:

• “Improvement changes in special education “will” be pushed forward in anticipation of new legislation that…has been coming for the last ten years, while the imposition of a cap on the hiring of carers for children with disabilities continues. That is to say, the Ministry of Education sets a number, based not on each child’s needs, but on each child’s transactions in accounting terms, and if the needs are greater, then the carers assume the responsibility of more than one child.
• The e-transformation of schools “will” soon be implemented, even though the Ministry has not yet managed to solve the problem of installing air conditioning and ventilation systems in classrooms.
• Vocational training structures will be developed, despite th3e fact that all technical schools are still overcrowded because of a lack of facilities, while many applications are being rejected because of the lack of places.

No mention whatsoever is made of the State Training Institutes and other afternoon and evening programmes of the Ministry of Education which continue to apply the illegal and unacceptable employment of thousands of teachers through the “purchase of services” system.

There is no mention whatsoever of the fact that 116 school assistants will not be re-employed in public kindergartens.

Not a single word has been said about the more than 900 contract teachers in secondary education.

Not a single word was  said either about the “autonomy” of the Public School of Higher Vocational Education and Training (MIEEK), which in effect opens the window for the privatisation of a successful institution.

Unfortunately, children will once again be called upon to pay the price of the Education Minister’s incompetence, conservatism and authoritarianism…

Postscript:

It is a fact that the first day of schools opening was overshadowed by the decision of a well-known Headmaster in a Larnaca high school to expel dozens of pupils who were passing for the first time from primary to secondary school because he did not like…their haircut! This is the same Headmaster who just a few months ago refused to allow students to receive their diplomas at the graduation ceremony for the very same reason.

More serious than the absurd behaviour of the “Headmaster”, however, was the attempt by the Minister of Education to provide cover to such blatantly anti-educational and authoritarian practices. He attacked the organised parents association who…supposedly sabotage the operation of schools in order to serve political expediencies and considerations! The Headmaster in question also attacked the section of the media who supposedly…spread fake news! He even insisted that “no suspensions were given, recommendations were made” despite the fact that written suspensions were indeed published. Other than that, he called for “respect for institutions”!