In a walkout from classes during the 4th teaching period, at the same time the Parliament’s Education Committee is meeting, the PSEM called on students to participate, demanding humane conditions in schools, safe and dignified schools, a reduction in the curriculum, respect for students’ voices, and substantive responses to their demands.
In a statement, PSEM protests the delay in installing air conditioners and asserts that, despite official circulars and the students’ victories regarding summer attire, several school administrations continue to ban shorts. Students are also protesting dangerous school facilities, noting that “they will not back down from their demands nor tolerate the disparagement of the student community.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Athina Michailidou, Deputy Minister of Education, states that she is ready to listen to the PSEM, discuss any concerns, and inform the students about everything that is already underway, noting that dialogue and information must always precede any refusal to attend class.
She also states that educational reform and governance planning address the issues raised by students, “not overnight, nor with slogans, but through strategy, investment, scientific and pedagogical evidence, and above all, political determination.”
At 9:40 a.m., the Education Committee will discuss, following an ex officio review, the timeline for the delivery of school textbooks and the progress of the installation and operation of air conditioners in schools.
Representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Cyprus Electricity Authority (AHK), and the Electromechanical Service, among others, as well as educational organizations and the Cyprus Teachers’ Union (PSEM), have been invited to attend.
Source: KYPE
