The Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Prodromos Prodromou in a written statement regarding an announcement by AKEL in which the party speaks of a “failed institution” of student evaluation, states that with “its well-known anachronistic notions and characteristic approach to populism, the AKEL is trying, in view of the upcoming elections, to get out of the isolation to which its outdated and extreme positions are leading it”. It is well known that AKEL was the only political party that opposed the Education Reform from the very beginning, but it was approved by the Parliament, adds the Minister of Education.
According to Mr. Prodromou, they refer to legislation that from the beginning had not only the approval of the Parliament, but also support through amendments of political forces that were accepted (characteristically referred to as “Leonidou's law”) and the positive position of both OELMEK and in general terms of the Confederation of Parents' Associations. They are talking about legislation that AKEL tried repeatedly unsuccessfully to repeal, while in practice it tried in every way to prevent its implementation, observes Mr. Prodromou.
“What right does AKEL have and what purpose does it serve that tries to prevent the completion of a reform that has been democratically approved? Is this their perception of democratic governance?”, asks Mr. Prodromou.
The Minister of Education also states that “for three years AKEL has been promoting nihilism and anachronistic ideologies and its only contribution is to uselessly disturb the schools”.
Subsequently, after stating that the new evaluation process has been successfully implemented, establishing a field of reliable evaluation, with all the benefits and a sense of meritocracy and providing very useful indications both for students and for teachers and schools, he adds that this year the its application expands, covering the high school cycle as well. It notes that the State and the Ministry of Education can, on the basis of the reliable data and indications that are now available, continuously evaluate the curricula and pedagogical methods and procedures and bring about adjustments and improvements in a targeted manner.
” The new rise of AKEL does not offer anything that is not really related to school life, but is undoubtedly combined with the pre-election period”, he continues adding “let them realize that the election of the President of the Republic will be decided at the polls and let them leave the schools alone “.
Earlier in his statement, AKEL MP, Christos Christofidis, spoke of the failed institution of the four-month exams which, “continues to create huge problems for schools, students, their parents and teachers. It is an institution which, admittedly, based on the views of parents, students and teachers has completely failed. of Education and its Ministry, but I am sorry to observe complicit political forces, which supported this institution, especially in the crucial votes in the Plenary of the Parliament and did not take their responsibility when they should have. And I am referring to the fact that AKEL had submitted a proposal for a law to abolish the four-month exams, which they voted against in the Plenary Session of the Parliament and to the fact that just before the summer in the face of these impasses we had again prepared a proposal for a law to abolish the four-month exams which, unfortunately, was not supported by other political forces”.
He also noted that “we are now hearing the admission from others about the failed institution of the four-month exams. We salute and welcome any other forces that have realized the tragic dead ends and the mistakes that have been made in relation to this institution, which at the end of the day, if we look at it from a pedagogical point of view, is a pedagogical crime against our children, against the education system”.
He stated that “unfortunately, it is now too late, at least for the current year, to take any initiative on a practical level. Unfortunately, at the right time, when the AKEL law proposal was put before everyone, other expediencies and other approaches prevailed. Nevertheless, I want to believe that with the costs we will have for this year, the victimization of a few thousand more students, with the opening of the Parliament, finally, mature, useful, serious thoughts will be made, we will listen to the academics of the University of Cyprus who unanimously expressed their opinion on this failed institution. We will finally listen to our students,. We will finally listen to the parents of our students, we will finally listen to our teachers and we will correct this educational crime by ending it”.
Today's positions of AKEL regarding the working status of permanent teachers show hypocrisy, stated the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Prodromos Prodromos. to the many prospective teachers who are included in the lists of appointments (“appointees” and “appointees”), any grant of “indefinite-term employment” rights is not offered as a solution. Regardless of whether this should be done as a follow-up to any court decisions, he notes, a permanent, lasting solution is needed.
He adds that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (YPAN) is thoroughly examining this issue – which has large dimensions – to provide solutions that will serve the well-intentioned interests of education and professionally secure teachers. The proposed solutions, he says, will be announced soon.
At the same time, it is being questioned whether AKEL's attitude is sincere or whether it is an opportunistic populist position.
“If his attitude was sincere, then why was AKEL the only political party that reacted strongly when, in a case two months ago, at the beginning of the school year, the Ministry of Education replaced contracts for the purchase of services with appointments of teachers? Why did AKEL react then, defending the services market! This showed how hypocritical their attitude is”, says the Minister.
He reminds at the same time that the large number of contracts for the purchase of services, which arose together with the need for rapid and flexible development of new programs of the Ministry, has its roots in those “stone years”, when AKEL's policies applied in governance had led the funds of the state to not even have the funds to pay the salaries of civil servants for more than a month or two.
“In any case, the Ministry of the Interior is currently working on ways to replace the temporary securing of services and the creation of “indefinite-term” relationships with regular recruitment procedures,” he says.
The Minister admits that for reasons rapid and flexible development of new programs in recent years there has been a significant number of contracts for the purchase of services in the Ministry of the Interior. He mentions, however, that AKEL is the last one that can speak about such issues. “Because for the plans to purchase services related to the Ministry of the Interior, it is known that the whole issue is being examined and global solutions will be provided,” he says.
Mr. Prodromou criticizes AKEL that with his current position, it refers to unconstitutional attempts to make executive decisions by the Parliament, it engages in an attempt to “sell hope” on the basis of “indefinite employment” and to those who have a service purchase relationship with the State and it succeeds against the President of the Republic.
“He insults the President of the Republic and the Government for referring legislation to the Supreme Court regarding the Parliament's impermissible intervention in matters concerning permanent employees. But why does he not expect to see the relevant decisions of the Supreme Court and bases his claims on his own verdicts?”, he says.
He wonders whether AKEL means that the President of the Republic should be indifferent in the event that either unconstitutional provisions or regulations are passed through which the separation of powers is abolished and whether this is the arrangement they have made with the candidate for the President they support in upcoming elections, i.e. to be indifferent to unconstitutional legislative proposals which AKEL will vote-huntingly support.
As AKEL MP Christos Christofidis stated in his statements, “unfortunately, the President of the Republic has once again chosen the path of conflict. As we have been informed, he decided and has already filed a petition with the Supreme Court in relation to the proposed law he submitted AKEL and the great majority of the Parliament voted to secure the rights of permanent-term teachers. What we tried to do is to give permanent-term teachers the benefits that permanent-term public servants enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.”
He noted that, “unfortunately, the ruling party and the President of the Republic have chosen to victimize more than 500 teachers to serve their ideological obsessions and approaches to labor issues, as well as other purposes. This government victimized 5,000 teachers, who they turned from moment by moment by service market employees. There are two court rulings on the illegality of service market and it continues to torture and victimize 5,000 people”.
“This government is victimizing over 500 permanent teachers deliberately and even when he had the option to help correct the situation with our own bill he opposed it. This government wants to open a window to privatize compulsory public education. And this government has repeatedly attacked all teachers, disparaging them and reducing their supply and presence,” he said, while in his statements he concluded that, “all these are not natural phenomena, they are political choices. Just like the political choice thousands of teachers will have in front of them in the upcoming presidential elections, to finally change things”.
