Christos Christofides on the extension of pre-primary education

 

Statement by AKEL MP and Head of Education policy C.Christophides

24 November 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The issue of promoting pupils to private schools is a matter of principle. It is a very serious issue and that’s precisely how it must be addressed. Do we accept the logic that the state has an obligation to provide all citizens with free public education during the period of compulsory education? Yes or no? AKEL says yes, and we cannot agree with the logic which in effect says that where construction problems do exist – for example, in a Lyceum or a Secondary school or a primary school – the solution, instead of looking at how we as a state meet these needs, is to hand out vouchers to pupils so that they can find a solution in the private sector themselves. This is unacceptable.

They are two different things: Nobody disagrees with extending pre-primary education to four years. Neither the political forces, nor educational organizations, or anyone. There is unanimity on this point. As to how this expansion is to be done there is serious disagreement on the question of principle. AKEL believes that we must safeguard like our precious asset the obligation and necessity for the state to be able to provide public free education to those of its citizens who choose to do so. If not, we will be following other very dangerous logics. After all, the ruling DISY party’s logic of education with vouchers is well known.

In the Parliamentary Education Committee, an AKEL amendment was tabled, which states that the Minister does not have the right to change the district where pupils enroll in schools and which effectively cancelled the Minister’s right to send pupils to private kindergartens. This amendment unfortunately was rejected by the parliamentary majority.

The second amendment – submitted by the Democratic Party DIKO – says that in 2023-2024, 2024-2025 pupils can attend public kindergartens and in 2025-2026 the loophole is left open for sending pupils to private kindergartens as well. Another amendment tabled by social democrat EDEK that was approved provides that from 2026 onwards all pupils must attend public kindergartens. In short, a window was left for 2025-2026.

For AKEL this very important question of principle remains and we stress once again that we will submit this position and our amendment to the plenary session of Parliament. Because the education organisations are right that when you open such loopholes, the loopholes will become doors and the doors will become gates, and by the same token, tomorrow, when we have difficulty in meeting needs, instead of correcting this distortion, certain forces and circles will adopt the logic of vouchers: Get a voucher, sure as hell and go to graduate wherever you want. These are neither serious educational policies, nor serious social policies.