The evaluation of the curricula and syllabi in primary, secondary general and secondary technical and vocational education, as well as the issue of changing school hours, was discussed on Wednesday by the Parliamentary Committee on Education.
>
In his statements after the session, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Education Committee, Pavlos Mylonas, said that they continued today the discussion on the timetables and curricula in primary, secondary and technical education and kindergartens.
“It was a productive discussion. The dialogue never hurt anyone. There are various views, for example we have heard the view that both schedules and curricula need no change. Everything is going smoothly. It is absolutely respectable. I still believe that the terrible problems that public education as a whole is facing are not being addressed in the way that some people argue we should be. I still believe that to go to 10 you need to start from 1 and methodically, organized and after consultation and dialogue to reach a result “, he added.
What, Mr. Mylonas continued, which makes a terrible impression is the fact that almost all or all of them support the all-day school and he wondered “how are we going to go to the all-day school with all these problems, which we should not solve or should solve or enter into a dialogue to resolve them in order to reach the all-day school “. He also assured that “I and my colleagues and I will continue my efforts, so that through dialogue we can reach a result that will bear fruit for our children, who are the protagonists of public education, and the others to remind us that we are tools, which we get paid to work exactly for the protagonists of the public schools that are the children, the students “.
Mr. Mylonas said that studies made by American and UK universities, prove that the productivity of children and teachers in the very, very morning hours is not good for either children or teachers.
“If now we all still believe in our election programs that we should promote the all-day school on & # 8217; “They should also tell us about the benefits of our children and how we should go to full-time schools, if we can think of everything else as problems other than solving problems,” he added.
DISY MP, George Karoullas, in statements said that they discussed today for a second consecutive session to evaluate the timetables and curricula of all levels of public school and listened to relevant proposals, suggestions and concerns. “We reaffirm our firm political position that our education system as a living organism must be modernized and reformed on the basis of a vision and a specific strategy always focused on the child in order to be able to respond creatively and successfully to the competitive conditions of our changing society.” complete.
As he said, “we are also convinced that any proposal should be discussed following a specific tactic of structured social dialogue, so as to create expectations of the success of a comprehensive reform and not to upset stakeholders, parents, guardians, teachers and, of course, children ».
“With the involvement of all social partners, productively and creatively, on the basis of rationalized and costed interdisciplinary interdepartmental proposals, which complement each other for the reconstruction of the public school, we put forward the radical proposal of the candidate for President of the Republic, school for all children. Proposal that in its philosophy fit and can be discussed the ideas submitted, which is an educational and social necessity. A change in wider education policy “, he added.
He stated that the proposal of the President of DISY Averof Neophytou includes both the creative revision of the timetable programs and the modernization of the curricula for the benefit of the children, the society and the future of the place.
“This proposal is at the same time a call to all political forces, stakeholders and society at large for cooperation and dialogue based on the perspective for the citizen of tomorrow. “What I also want to emphasize is that serious, scientific and creative work is being done at the Ministry of Education and Science on the basis of the most modern pedagogical principles and methods and the results in the international exams for a number of subjects testify to the positive achievements in learning outcomes”, he added.
AKEL MP, Christos Christofidis, said in statements that they examined today in the Education Committee of the Parliament the course of the detailed and timetable programs in the educational system.
< p class = "text-paragraph">“It is true that this issue is very serious because it concerns the very content of the education provided. It is also true that a serious and organized effort is being made by the stakeholders, the Pedagogical Institute, academics, the teachers themselves, especially with regard to the curricula. “But the education system is a whole, the best curricula to have, if the system itself does not support their efficient operation, we can not be led anywhere,” he added.
As he said, love for learning and creating in school, they feel a tremendous oppression and stress, the best curricula to have, can not reverse this situation “.
He went on to cite a second example, which was reported today to the Education Committee. “OELMEK rightly said that in directions four and five in high schools, there seems to be a problem. Obviously there is a problem. When many children, hundreds of children want to go to technical education and are rejected, because listen – listen there are no places and these children instead of going to become car mechanics or go to a hairdresser or follow what they seek, we send them to high school because it does not have places and we tell them, fine now where are you going? Choose these bundles because the others are particularly difficult. The result is that these children are in a class, in a direction that they know and we know, that they are not interested and of course a series of problems are created “, he noted.
So, said Mr. Christofidis, what the Ministry of Education must do “is to connect the quality of the curricula, the purpose of our education in Cyprus but also the goals, with the educational issue itself and to become those changes that our educational issue needs in order to be able to support the content of the curricula “.
“It's our goal. This is our vision. We have specific positions and proposals. We have developed some of them today in the Education Committee of the Parliament in order to change the image and the content of our educational system “, he added.
The Independent Member of Parliament, Andreas Themistokleous, in He said that the discussion on changing the hours of schools, elementary, high schools and lyceums, is pointless.
“It will complicate things more, waste time and lead the economy, society, and of course the student community to upsets, unnecessary adventures. Each hour, which will be added beyond 13.30 will be one hour, which will be added late at night to the life and effort of our students. In addition, all services State, public, private, municipal, industry and the entire service sector will be disrupted. If par & # 8217; hope that the effort made by some MPs to coincide the school schedule with the schedule of parents and guardians, that is, to go both at 8 or 8:30, then remember one thing: Unblocking from the streets will take up to 11-12 “, he added.
As he said, it is an unnecessary trouble for an issue, which the society itself has never asked for change, neither the educational organizations, nor the students.
“Are we now coming to do experiments and tests to satisfy whom? Therefore my position is that this is pointless, unnecessary and discussion, which it only offers suffering to everyone “, he added.
Regarding the all-day school, Mr. Themistokleous said that the President of DISY has promised compulsory all-day.
“First to do this and then to come and see the detailed and timetable programs of our schools. Until then, however, we can not say today that students should stay in school, because there is no infrastructure, there are no facilities, there are generally no necessary services to have all day. “When they are here we will be discussing it again,” he noted.
EDEK MP, Andreas Apostolou, in his statements regarding the issue of school hours said that “what we consider that our education system needs at the moment, but mainly the families, who work late, is to improve and to expand the institution of optional full-time schools in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools, so that parents working in the private sector can enable their children to have a quality meal, to have a quality care, to read lessons and be able to receive them happily while studying at work.
“The second issue that concerns us a lot and we have registered an issue in the Committee on Labor and Social Welfare, is the support of young parents for nurseries. At the moment, with the expiration of the maternity leave and until the children go to pre-school, there are not enough structures or support from the state, so that there is custody of these children. This issue, of course, does not concern the Education Committee. “The third issue, which concerns the Education Committee and we discussed today, is the need to extend pre-primary education from the age of 4”, he added.
A timeless proposal of ours, as Mr. Apostolou said, “which, as we have been told and was told today, will be included in the Recovery Fund”.
He noted that they consider that Implementing these three measures that can be easily implemented will support families, young parents and achieve the goal of balancing family and professional life.
Meanwhile, in a memo regarding the opening hours of schools, the Pancyprian Guild EQUALITY states that they are of the opinion that the proposed changes will affect or, even, possibly shake the daily life of students, their parents and employees. (in Public and Wider Public Sector Services and in the Private Sector) and educators, who are also the directly affected employees and parents at the same time.
“Working hours are essential term of employment and can not be changed unilaterally, without the consent of the affected workers “, he adds.
the views of all of the above should be taken into account and the impact on students' leisure time and how family life may be affected in their situation should also be considered. of road traffic in urban centers, at the time of arrival of the affected working parents at their work.
Source: KYPE
