The bill for the creation of a Deputy Ministry of Culture was submitted IN Parliament with gaps and without dialogue
Statements by AKEL MP Christos Christofides after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture
The bill for the creation of a Deputy Ministry of Culture was submitted IN Parliament with gaps and without dialogue
3 November 2021
At today’s session of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture, we continued the debate on the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Culture. Unfortunately, once again, the lack of dialogue was stressed by all those invited. The issue is not only procedural. It seems that the lack of dialogue around the possibility of creating a State Ministry of Culture is creating tensions, but also many shortcomings/omissions in the bill before the Committee on Education.
At the same time, the need to elaborate a specific structure in the bill for the creation of the Deputy Ministry was underlined, so that we can be sure that the Deputy Ministry will function and operate efficiently.
Finally, let me underline once again that there is clearly a political issue, but also an operational issue with the transfer of the Department of Antiquities to the State Ministry of Culture. And there should be a very serious discussion around this issue.
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The President of the Republic should take responsibility for the arbitrary behaviour of the Board of the English School
This is the second time that the Education Committee has debated the English School issue. We expected that after the first debate, a dialogue would begin and the matter would lead to a settlement.
Unfortunately, today we have been informed that the Board of Governors of the English School is continuing the same behaviour. It is vindictively and with authoritarian approaches trying to impose its point of view. This cannot be accepted and tolerated by the House.
We urge the parents of the English School students to exert their influence on the Board to stop victimizing the children through its actions. At the same time, we ask the President of the Republic, who has the political responsibility for the appointment and by extension for the behaviour of the Board of Governors, to at long last intervene to resolve this very serious issue before Parliament, within its powers, is forced to take action.
