“Criminal” decisions by the Education Ministry on State Institutes for Further Education victimizing pupils and teachers

 

Statement by AKEL MP Christos Christofides after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture

20 October 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Today in the Parliamentary Education Affairs Committee we discussed a very serious issue – in our assessment – which the Parliamentary Group of AKEL registered and which concerns the course and future of the State Institutes for Further Education (KIE).

Once again we have witnessed the truly criminal behaviour of the Ministry of Education. These State Institutes are floundering and yet to start evening classes, with the Ministry of Education and its political decisions solely responsible.

What is the essence of the matter?

It is that the Ministry of Education, through its policy decisions, is condemning children enrolled in KIE’s, either because they cannot move or because they cannot afford to pay for expensive private tutorials. When most of senior pupils have been studying and taking tutoring since the summer, imagine how much worse off senior pupils due to graduate will be in, who in fact will have to sit triple exams this year and who have yet to start classes at KIE’s.

As we pointed out at the time of the restrictive measures implemented in schools to deal with the pandemic, the Ministry of Education, through various policy decisions, has in effect launched an attack on children who come from the popular strata and middle classes.

At the same time, the huge labour issue of the status of purchasing teachers’ services continues to persist. These teachers are losing 35% of their income, they themselves are paying their own social insurance and National Health Scheme. Furthermore, they are not entitled to unemployment benefits for the months they are not working. In fact, as we have been informed, this year the average salary they are being paid has been reduced, condemning thousands of teachers to work, literally, for a piece of bread.

As a result of all this policy, as we have been informed today, this year student enrolment in the KIE’s is significantly reduced and there will be, at best, 100 fewer classes. And I say at best, because we don’t know of the students who have registered how many will eventually show up and how many have made other choices just because of this terrible delay.

We will also report this criminal behaviour to the Commissioner for Children’s Rights. The government ruling forces are deliberately condemning children to fewer opportunities than their peers. For AKEL, this too will not be accepted and certainly won’t be tolerated.