A Larnaca secondary school graduation ceremony descended into chaos and was abruptly called off after the headmaster refused to give a 15-year-old Syrian student their school leaving certificate.
Akel on Wednesday called on the education ministry to investigate the incident, which it said was racist.
Tensions flared on Tuesday evening after the headmaster ordered the 15-year-old Syrian student to leave the stage, saying his certificate would not be handed out, arguing that the student’s clothing and hairstyle was inappropriate.
Outraged parents yelled out for the student to be given the certificate, but the ceremony descended into chaos.
A shouting match ensued, leading to the principal to retreat to his office and subsequently call security.
The headmaster was escorted home by police officers, daily Phileleftheros reported.
On Wednesday, Akel’s Larnaca wing called on the ministry to investigate the incident and “finally” take responsibility, stating that the headmaster in question has a history of such incidents and causing problems at the school.
It was further reported that the headmaster was embroiled in a similar incident last year.
Last June, the family of teenage African student said their daughter faced discrimination after she was told she could not participate in the graduation ceremony because she had braids.
In the end the girl was allowed to take part after Larnaca mayor Andreas Vyras managed to convince the head teacher to allow the girl to graduate with her classmates.
A family member said at the time that the girl, whose mother is from Kenya, found it challenging to style her hair. “It is painful to comb her hair, every morning they had the same problem,” the family member said.
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