The OELMEK is launching a volley against the proposals of the Minister of Education for changes in Lyceums and Technical Schools, citing "a complete lack of scientific documentation".
In a statement, the educational organization stresses that these "erratic approaches and this incomprehensible sloppiness on serious issues of education are unacceptable for a modern European state of the 21st century," while demonstrating that the proposals contained in the letters of the Minister of Education have as their starting point the preservation of the four-month examinations.
At the same time, the OELMEK points out that "taking into account the above and given that we consider the approaches of the Minister of Education to capital issues of our Education to be dangerous, the K.D.S. decided to convene an extraordinary Pancyprian Conference of General Delegates on 5/5/2022, in which the above issues will be discussed, without excluding the taking of dynamic measures, in a critical period for our students, for which the Minister of Education himself will bear the full responsibility".
The statement of the OELMEK:
The CEC of the OELMEK that met today, Thursday, 14/4/2022, after discussing the three letters sent by the Minister of Education to the Organization on 4, 5 and 13 April 2022, states the following:
1). The common feature of the three letters is the complete lack of scientific substantiation of the proposals they contain, which in many cases provide for radical changes and reversals of decisions taken by the Government itself in recent years (e.g. curricula, high school structure)
2). We find unacceptable the sloppiness with which the Minister of Education approaches serious issues concerning the Public School, since within a week the Minister initially sent the first two letters with a series of final and unilateral decisions, which he came to vary and/or reverse a few days later (with his letter dated 13.4.2022), again through new sloppy, vague and undocumented proposals, which have now become recommendations. In our view, these erratic approaches and this unacceptable sloppiness on serious issues of education are unacceptable for a modern European State in the 21st century.
3). As can be seen from the content of the letters, many proposals of the Ministry of Education have as their starting point the preservation of the four-year examinations, to which the Minister of Education stubbornly adheres. While acknowledging that they are responsible for the loss of valuable teaching time (especially the January mid-term exams), he intends to sacrifice by fire and iron on the altar of their retention many elements related to the quality of education provided. This includes, for example, the proposals for the downgrading of important courses for the students' later academic career, as well as the abolition of three whole sections of the Lyceum that the government itself created in 2015 (without ever having presented the evaluation of the new Lyceum as promised by the then Minister of Education until February 2018).
At the same time, the Minister of Education's anti-educational inclination to place barriers on the pathway of students from the age of 14 (3rd grade as he specifically mentions) in education and/or to exclude a significant portion of them from making choices based on their learning needs and the studies they wish to pursue is evident, without presenting any meaningful alternatives. These approaches reflect the same economistic approaches that characterised the so-called 'rationalisation' of 2018, which is now being attempted in other ways
4). Since he himself acknowledges that quarter exams lead to the loss of valuable teaching time, which we have been pointing out for a long time, he should finally listen to what we have been calling for all this time, together with parents and students, which is the abolition of quarter exams in high school (especially the midterm central exam) and their non-extension to high schools from the new school year. It is the clear position of our Organization that the abolition of the midterm quarter exams in the third grade is imperative, after the traumatic experience of this year's graduating students with three exams in a few months
5). Taking into account the above and given that we consider the approaches of the Minister of Education on capital issues of our Education to be dangerous, the K.D.S. decided to convene an extraordinary Pancyprian Conference of General Delegates on 5/5/2022, in which the above issues will be discussed, without excluding the possibility of taking dynamic measures, in a critical period for our students, for which the Minister of Education himself will bear full responsibility.
6). The KDS of OELMEK calls once again on the Minister of Education to finally listen to the views and concerns of all stakeholders and to immediately start a substantial dialogue with the participation of the Educational Organizations, the Academics, the Pedagogical Institute and the PESM for the formulation of an Evaluation Plan for students, which really works for the benefit of the Public School and primarily for the students.
7) Finally, we express our readiness for dialogue with the Ministry of Education and stakeholders on all issues of our Education. A dialogue that is meaningful, scientifically based and systematic with specific goals and steady steps that will contribute to the upgrading of the Public School. We stress, however, that we will not hesitate to react dynamically and decisively to sloppy and erratic approaches, as well as to unilateral and arbitrary actions that degrade the Public School.
Our concern and absolute priority is and remains the defence of the Public School. In this direction we call on parents and students to join us.
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