The new school year starts with many unresolved problems

Statement by AKEL MP Christos Christofias, AKEL after the meeting of the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee

7 September 2022

We discussed the start of the new school year today in the Parliamentary Education and Culture Committee. We were informed by the Ministry of Education about the – in their words – smooth start of the school year in the Secondary General and Technical Education, as well as in Primary Schools from next Monday.

We raised a number of questions about various problems, which date back to several years and for which, in our view, the political will has not yet been demonstrated by the government to resolve them. More specifically, AKEL raised the following issues:

– The issue of the purchase of services for the Ministry of Education’s afternoon and evening programs, as well as for morning schools,

– The issues concerning air conditioner and ventilation systems in classrooms, a pledge that has been fulfilled over the last few years as we are still waiting for its implementation,

– The numerous problems with the institution of quarterly examinations, which this year is extended to the high school cycle, without having actually evaluated its implementation in high schools and technical schools,

– The problems concerning the School and Social Inclusion Actions programme (DRASE) and the learning of the Greek language by immigrant school students,

– The assessment of children with disabilities and the recruitment of school chaperones, which is another big issue in itself, as well as many other issues which we have raised. We expect to get answers from the Ministry of Education at the next Committee session.

In closing, we wish a happy and productive school year to teachers, school students and all those involved in public schools in our country.

• Measures are needed to solve the student housing problem

We also heard today from the Rectors of the three public universities on the start of the academic year.

We persistently and pressingly raised the huge problem that currently exists in public higher education, which is none other than housing for students. Students have been forced to turn down their successful place for admission to a public university because they cannot afford the exorbitant costs associated with housing.

AKEL considers that this is unacceptable in a modern society and the government cannot stand by and simply watch this situation. We have demanded that the Ministry of Education considers increasing the rent allowance for those in need so that they can be supported to study in our country. We asked the authorities of the University of Cyprus and the Technical University to speed up, as far as possible, the procedures for the construction of new student halls of residence.

We wish the university staff and students a positive and productive year in the difficult task ahead of them in yet another academic year to further develop university education in our country, which this year celebrates 30 years of the University of Cyprus, 20 years of the Open University and 15 years of the Technical University. We wish them all the very best.