Statement by Christos Christofides, Head of the Education Affairs Bureau and AKEL MP, on the new school year

                                                                               

7 September 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

On the occasion of the new school year, we wish all our pupils, students, teachers, parents, academics and all administrative and support staff in our schools and universities all the very best and a productive school and academic year.

Despite the Education Ministry’s attempt to convince us that everything is perfect and ready, the truth is that the new school year starts with problems and shortcomings. Specialised Education for our children with disabilities is still of secondary importance for our educational system.

The much needed expansion of Technical Education has not happened. The State Training Institutes and other afternoon and evening programs of the Education Ministry continue to illegally and unacceptably employ thousands of teachers through the method of “purchase of services”. At the same time, the Ministry is extending the purchase of services system to basic education, creating serious problems.  The Ministry’s policy of creating 25-person classes creates problems in the results for our children, but also deprives jobs, resulting in dozens of non-appointed teachers, in contrast to the misleading information the Education Minister gave to the Parliamentary Education Affairs Committee.

The fact that this year, in extremely difficult conditions, the Ministry wants to impose exams every 4 months in the 3rd grade and national entrance exams will create huge problems at the most critical point for thousands of final year students. At the same time, so many months after the outbreak of the pandemic, shortages of single desks and gaps in health protocols in schools continue. Finally, the problem of the non-existence of air conditioning and ventilation in classrooms continues.

We call on the Ministry of Education to leave aside the management of issues serving communication purposes and to address the problems that thousands of students, teachers and parents face and experience every day.