This school year starts with chronic problems

 

12 September 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

On the occasion of the start of the new school year, AKEL wishes a good and productive school year to teachers, pupils and all those who are concerned and struggling for the public school.

Although the Ministry of Education speaks of a smooth start to this school year, however, this isn’t the view of those directly involved. The opposite is true.  The well-known incident of pupils being expelled because of their hair and that of pupils being transferred out of their district because the Ministry of Education refuses to fill organic posts where there is a need, reminds us of the chronic problems the education system faces, while it appears that the government lacks the necessary political will to solve them. Such issues include●:

• The purchase of services system for the Ministry of Education’s afternoon and evening programs, and even for morning school.
• The solution of the air condition and ventilation system issues in classrooms remains pending despite the Education Ministry’s repeated proclamations and commitments.
• The custom of quarterly examinations is being extended to the high school cycle despite the fact that it has failed and created numerous problems in the high school cycle.
• The problems concern the Cyprus TogetherStrongAndSafe Together Strong & Safe Home “DRASE” Pprogram and the learning of the Greek language by pupils with an immigrant backroad.
• The assessment of children with disabilities is on hold despite all the announcements and worst of all there is dishonesty on the part of the Ministry of Education to modernize the legislation for access to inclusive education for children with disabilities. The recruitment of school chaperones is also another big issue in itself.