During the conference it is not excluded to discuss and take measures reaction.
In his statements to KYPE, the President of OELMEK, Costas Hadjisavvas, said that through the Pancyprian Conference they want to send the message that they do not accept & # 8220; unilateral or sectarian & # 8221; decisions “on issues concerning our education system and issues which, instead of upgrading it, degrade it in essence”, as he stated.
Answering a question, Mr. Hadjisavvas He said that the content of the first two letters in some places is annulled by the third letter “and we were really concerned about the content of the first two letters in which suggestions are made related to the structure of the Lyceum”.
He went on to say that, , on what the directions will be and in a letter, the Minister of Education suggests the abolition of three directions “.
As he said, “these certainly concern us, while in his third letter (ss: YPPAN) he cancels what he writes in the first two letters for the abolition of the three directions”.
Such suggestions “are really problematic and worrying and we wonder where the dialogue is, but also on the basis of what scientific evidence or documentation such suggestions are made,” he added.
Asked if their third letter was sent after the extraordinary session of Parliament on the issue of four months, Mr. Hadjisavvas said that their third letter was sent to OELMEK on April 13, 2022, while the other two on April 4 and 5, 2022.
He noted that after the two letters, the Minister of Education called them to a meeting to inform them.
“It was intense reaction to the meeting and many questions and concerns were raised before the Minister of Education for his suggestions “, he added.
The President of OELMEK stated, in addition, that one of the proposals of the Minister essentially implies the abolition of the institution of the Pancyprian Examinations for the DG Lyceum.
“An institution, which is the most reliable today in Cyprus in terms of our educational system, while with its proposal the examinations for both the dismissal and the access to the public universities of Cyprus and Greece will be done through two examinations in end of each four months. Which is a very serious problem for our organization. “They are essentially trying to adapt everything to the four-month exams, an institution that has been shown to have serious problems,” he added.
problems both on the process and on the substance and that is why our Organization considers that there is no reason for the four-month examinations to exist “.
Answering a question about what really worries them, the President of OELMEK said that in the beginning there are so many educational issues “that the Ministry of Education does not show a positive response to solve these educational issues, such as, for example, laboratory biology courses, other topics related to safety and health, such as teaching design/technology in-lab.
Other issues, he said , are the teachers of indefinite time, the security supervisors in the high schools, the new system of appointments. “The problems are many. “They need immediate resolution or even promotion to resolve these serious issues in view of the start of the new school year”, he added.
Asked what priorities they set and what they are asking from the Pancyprian Conference of General Representatives, Mr. Hadjisavvas said that we are talking about an extraordinary PSGA. which will have an exclusive subject, the information on the three letters of the Minister of Education and the taking of similar decisions.
“What we are asking for is a substantive dialogue with the Ministry of Education to to discuss all these problems that concern our educational system in order to find solutions for the further upgrade of the public school “, he added
Asked about the whereabouts of the parliamentary parties' initiatives on the issue of the four months in Parliament, Mr. Hadjisavvas said that they are not aware of whether any initiatives will be taken by any party or parties, so that a dialogue can begin before the Education Committee. of Parliament for this serious issue, with the participation of all stakeholders in education, with the aim of finding a student evaluation plan that will work for the benefit of students and the public school in general.
Announcement of OELMEK for the three letters sent to them by the Minister of Education
The KELM of OELMEK, which met on April 14, after discussing the three letters sent by the Minister of Education to the Organization, states in a statement that the common feature of the three letters is the complete lack of scientific documentation of the proposals, which include in many cases they provide for radical changes and reversals of decisions taken by the Government itself in recent years (eg curricula, Lyceum structure).
“We consider unacceptable the sloppiness with which the Minister of Education approaches very serious issues concerning the Public School, since within a week the Minister initially sent the first two letters with a series of final and unilateral decisions, which he came to differentiate and/or annul. a few days later (with his letter dated 13.4.2022), again through new rough, vague and unsubstantiated proposals, which were now suggestions. In our view, these strange approaches and this unforgivable sloppiness on very serious issues of Education are unacceptable for a modern European State of the 21st century “, he noted.
He further states that as it appears from the content of the letters, many proposals of the Ministry of Education and Science have as their starting point the maintenance of the four-month exams, “in which the Minister of Education stubbornly insists”.
“While acknowledging that they are responsible for the loss of valuable teaching time (especially the midterm exams in January), he intends to sacrifice with fire and iron on the altar of their preservation many elements related to the quality of education provided. This includes, for example, the suggestions for the degradation of very important courses for the subsequent academic course of the students, as well as the abolition of three whole directions of the Lyceum that the Government itself created in 2015, – without ever having presented the evaluation. of the new Lyceum as promised by the then Minister of Education, until February 2018), he adds.
At the same time, he states that “the anti-pedagogical disposition of the Minister of Education is obvious to put obstacles in the way of students from the age of 14 (3rd Gymnasium as he specifically states) in education and/or to exclude a significant portion of them, from make their choices based on their learning needs and the studies they wish to pursue, without presenting any substantial alternatives. “
“These approaches reflect the same economic approaches that characterized the so-called 'Rationalization' of 2018, which is now being attempted in other ways. Recognizing that the four-month exams lead to the loss of valuable teaching time, which we have been pointing out for a long time, we must finally listen to what we have been asking all this time, together with parents and students, which is the abolition of exams. of four months in the Lyceum (especially of the intermediate central examination) and their non-expansion in the Gymnasiums from the new school year “, he adds.
He notes that the clear position of the Organization is that the abolition of the intermediate examinations of four months in the 3rd Lyceum is imperative, after the traumatic experience of this year's final year students with the three examinations within a few months.
“Taking into account the above and given that we consider dangerous the approaches of the Minister of Education to capital issues of our Education, the K.D.S. decided to convene an Extraordinary Pancyprian Conference of General Representatives on 5/5/2022, in which the above issues will be discussed, without excluding the taking of dynamic measures, at a critical period for our students, for which they will bear full responsibility. the Minister of Education himself “, notes.
The KELS of OELMEK once again calls on the Minister of Education to finally listen to the views and concerns of all stakeholders and to immediately start a meaningful dialogue with the participation of the Educational Organizations, the Academics, the Pedagogical Institute for Education and the University. Assessment of students/three, which really works for the benefit of the Public School and primarily students/three.
It also expresses its readiness for dialogue with the Ministry of Education and Science and Stakeholders on all issues of Education.
“A dialogue that is substantial, scientifically substantiated and systematic with specific goals and solid steps that will contribute to the upgrading of the Public School. We emphasize, however, that we will not hesitate to react vigorously and decisively to rough and alien approaches, as well as to unilateral and egalitarian actions, which degrade the Public School. Our concern and absolute priority is and remains the defense of the Public School. In this direction, we call on the parents and the students to mobilize “, he concludes.
Source: KYPE
