In order to revise the time of arrival and departure of students from public schools, a debate on the evaluation of timetables and curricula in primary, middle and secondary technical education started today in the Education Committee of the Parliament, following a proposal by the Chairman of the Committee and MP of DIKO, Pavlos Mylonas.
Mylonas, in the context of modernising the operation of schools to bring them in line with today's standards, he said, proposed that classes in primary schools should start at 8:00 a.m. and in high schools and technical schools at 8:30 a.m. He also proposed that the teaching time should be extended to 50 minutes from the current 45 minutes in secondary and technical education, in order for teaching to have a meaningful effect. During the discussion in the Committee, a proposal was also put forward on behalf of the PDES to extend the break time
With the participation of the Directors of Primary and Secondary Education and representatives of the Pedagogical Institute, teachers, students and parents, the discussion covered aspects of both school opening hours and the content of the curricula. The discussion will continue and, as the President of the Committee said in his statements, representatives of the private sector (KEBE, OEB) and PASYDY will be invited to the next meetings, since the issue is also related to the traffic congestion that occurs in urban centres when transporting students to schools.
In addition, the President of the PDOED, Myria Vassiliou, during her presentation to the Commission, pointed out the need for continuous evaluation, updating and improvement of both timetables and curricula, with simultaneous renewal of textbooks and educational material in general. He also stressed the need "to produce educational material in various subjects of primary school and auxiliary educational material in special and pre-primary education."
Regarding the opening hours of school units, he said that the issue is multifactorial, with socio-economic implications, which must be taken into account in the dialogue on the issue. "In any case, the PDOED declares its readiness to submit substantiated suggestions on issues related to timetables and curricula, but also ready to discuss comprehensive solutions to improve the operating hours of our school units."
Mr. Mylonas said, however, that the opinions of academics, both from Cyprus and abroad, will be taken into account in the decision-making process, as he expressed his intention to seek opinions on the issue from academics in France, England and Germany.
In addition, Mr. Mylonas said that the launch of this debate, following the last attempt to revise the timetables in 2000, presented an opportunity to review both the arrival and departure times of pupils and the duration and content of the curriculum.
He explained that there are currently serious problems in teaching, as during the first two teaching hours most children are sleepy and cannot concentrate on the lesson, and many are late arriving at school.
He also said that the aim is to open a general discussion, leading to departmental changes, but with the ultimate goal of achieving full-day schooling. "This is an opportunity to be ready so that when the new government takes over, we can proceed with the reform to implement full-day school, which I think is very important because it touches the essence of children's presence in schools," he said.
In response to a question about the ultimate goal of the reforms, he said that because it is difficult to implement a full-day school programme, despite election pledges, since it takes money and time, the purpose is to start the process of changes in parts. "My belief is that if you claim to achieve ten, in the first stage one is enough," he concluded.
In the preliminary discussion held today, concerns were raised regarding the revision of both timetables and curricula, but, as Mr.
DISY MP George Karoullas[/B] said that the timetables and curricula touch on issues that concern the whole society: the time children spend in schools, the teaching time and their creative activity.
"In DISY we say that the focus is on the child, so on behalf of presidential candidate Averof Neophytou, we are starting a dialogue on the construction of all-day schools at all levels of education, with the aim of improving learning outcomes and our proposal covers the entire education system," he said.
He explained that with the proficiency indicators, which define the goals and objectives for each subject and combined with the evaluation system, both for students and teachers, the whole education system is covered, with the aim of preparing children as tomorrow's citizens, in a competitive society, since the courses will be linked to the labour market."
In a statement, AKEL MP Christos Christofias said that for his party "the opening hours matter, but even more important is the content of the education provided".
He stressed that AKEL's vision for the public school is its ability to ensure the cultivation of critical thinking, education with a horizontal interconnection of subjects, where students can breathe and therefore love it and it makes them socially educated.
"The essence of education is primarily the curricula and government has failed, as parapedia has intensified because children are chasing grades and sterile knowledge," he noted and called on the government to have a structured dialogue, both on the issue of working hours and curricula, with scientific documentation.
Responding to a reporter's question, he said that the revision of the timetable could proceed without changes in the curricula. "They are interrelated issues, but they can be reviewed separately, especially considering that with the existing programmes there are subjects whose curriculum is not covered due to lack of time," he concluded.
In a statement, PPP MP Alekos Tryfonidis said that these issues "should be seriously evaluated in the long run and there should be strategic planning to stop the learning slide of the last decades and return to high results in the education of our children." He pointed out that the timetable is not only about attendance and break times, but essentially about the allocation of useful teaching time.
He said the recommendation to change the start time of classes and attendance of students is highly significant as it will directly affect almost all families and the attendance times at work of all employees.
He also stressed that "due to the ever-changing learning and working technological environment, it is imperative and necessary to adjust and strengthen the courses offered".
He concluded that following the debate, his party will submit "specific suggestions and proposals with a view to ensuring the level of education for children and supporting the educational system".
DIPA will call for the cancellation of the sports tests of candidates for contracted soldiers
In his statements, Mr. Tryfonidis referred to an issue that arose on the occasion of the sports tests of candidates for contracted soldiers. He said, it was found that there was a disparity in relation to the times and conditions of the tests, since with the dense dust and humidity prevailing in recent days, candidates tested in the morning hours performed differently from those tested at midday.
He added that the PPP will write a letter to the minister concerned to cancel the tests held these days and have them held again so that the candidates have equal opportunities.
Finally, he said that there was also unequal treatment of female candidates, who were asked to carry the same weight as men (he specifically referred to canisters weighing 20 kilos), while in officer schools this test stipulates a lower weight for women.
Source: CNA
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