There is uproar in Anafotia, where, for the fourth day in a row, parents are complaining that their children have no way to get to school, due to repeated cancellations of school bus routes from Anafotia to schools in Larnaca, for both elementary and secondary education.
The relevant authorities attribute the cancellations to incidents of vandalism and disorderly conduct inside the buses, and are considering measures to ensure the safe transportation of students to school; however, parents are protesting that it is unthinkable to deprive their children of the right to go to school. Many have to pack three or four children into a vehicle every day to take them to school, while at noon they are forced to leave their jobs to pick them up.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Police measures for today’s teachers’ protest
Journalist Eleni Fanari was in Anafotia with an Alpha TV camera.
“The situation is unacceptable; I don’t know how it will play out, but we’re holding the bus company accountable so that more action is taken. They’ve put the whole village in the spotlight; we won’t accept this particular bus coming back to Anafotia. What is the Ministry doing? Does the President of the Republic have to intervene to solve the problem? It should have been resolved from day one. By what right are the children even allowed to go to school? If the problem isn’t resolved by Wednesday, we’ll go to Kofinou, where the company is headquartered, and we’ll block the roads.”
Stavros Karagiorgis – President of the Anafotia Community Council
READ ALSO: “You Can’t Prevent Children from Going to School”: Strong Measures in Anafotia Over School Bus Route Cancellations
At a rally held yesterday afternoon at 6:00 p.m., parents decided they would take decisive action if the problem is not resolved immediately.
“A complaint was filed a week ago. No one has investigated it. They are depriving children of their fundamental right to education. The responsibility now lies with the Ministry of Education and Transportation. They’re leaving the children on the street, and there’s also a safety issue regarding their transportation.”
Costas Costa – President of the Larnaca Parents’ Federation
Here’s what parents told Alpha TV:
“There’s no bus in the village. We were informed on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. It’s unacceptable. We can’t go back and forth between Anafotia and Vergina every day. We need someone to pick them up, someone to bring the kids back. We have kids who go to elementary school. So this mom has to go to Vergina first, return to Anafotia, pick up her child from elementary school, and then take them to preschool. All the parents are struggling.”
It should be noted that a meeting with the Ministry of Transportation is scheduled for 12 noon, with parents waiting to see if they will take decisive action,
