Confusion and confusion prevails among parents in the last few days, regarding the registration of children in pre-primary and kindergartens, especially after the serial dismissal of the law recently passed by the Parliament, for the mandatory downward extension. What has caused the most confusion is what applies to the upcoming school year, as we are in the fifth round of registration.
The law that was passed, before Parliament closed, for the Presidential elections, with the President returning it to Parliament, invoking unconstitutional provisions and Parliament not accepting said impeachment, with the result that the ball is in the hands of the Supreme at the moment, it has caused a headache for parents, who do not know whether they can enroll their children in public and community kindergartens or whether they can opt for private education.
Next Monday, the submission of applications for the registration of children in public and community kindergartens is expected to begin, and the complaints received by the Confederation of Preschool Parents are numerous. Most of them, as the REPORTER is able to know, concern the process and whether parents of children under 4.8 years of age will be able to enroll them in public and community kindergartens.
What is clear is that the procedure that applied in previous years applies this year as well and schools can accept applications for all children, however priority will be given to children who are 4.8 years old and older. Then, if there are vacancies, then the schools will look at the applications they have before them to fill them. In the meantime, those parents who wish to choose private education can do so, as was the case in previous school years.
However, according to the Ministry of Education, children born between September 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 are eligible for enrollment in Compulsory Pre-Primary Education. Also, children born between September 1, 2017 and on August 31, 2018. In the meantime, children born between January 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 can also submit applications for enrollment in Public Kindergartens.
Based on the same announcement by the Ministry of Education, for enrollment of children in public kindergartens, what applies is:
-January 16-18, 2023: Parents/guardians place in a closed envelope all the necessary forms/certificates/documents for their child's enrollment in the school of their educational district and the application for transfer (if they wish to transfer). Then, they drop the closed envelope into a special box that will be placed in the school area.
• In the same area, there will be the necessary forms for registration (form DDE 11) and for transfer (form DDE 33) for parents/guardians who do not have access to the internet.
• The parents/guardians they come to the specific place having filled out, in advance, all the necessary forms just to drop the envelope in the box and leave.
-January 16-18, 2023: The school studies all enrollment/transfer applications and contacts all parents/guardians by phone:
• to confirm the child's registration,
• to secure any information/data that has not been provided/provided and
• to inform parents/guardians that their application for transfer will be forwarded to the relevant E.G.P. and as soon as the school has any information it will inform them about it.
-Until January 20, 2023: Submit to the school any information/certificates that were not submitted with the application for registration/transfer.
< p>Shots against the Ministry of Education
However, parents appear to be disturbed by the attitude of the Ministry of Education, with the authorities reporting that the Ministry issued formal announcements, without explanations, attributing to him the prevailing confusion. At the same time, a meeting is not sought to discuss the law that has been referred to the Supreme Court, as they now await the decision. In fact, the parents express the opinion that the Government should submit a request for the law to be studied by the Supreme Court, in its urgent form, so that they can catch up next year.
