A compromise solution for the implementation of the reform concerning the extension of pre-primary education from the age of 4 years, accepting unanimously two amendments by DIKO and EDEK, was reached by the Parliamentary Education Committee,[/B] MPs said after today's meeting.
The committee discussed behind closed doors the issue of extending compulsory pre-primary education, in the presence of the Education Minister.
Education is not an area of controversy, said the Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture, Chrysanthos Savvidis.
The area of education, he continued. Savvidis, is a consensual area and today the Parliamentary Committee on Education has unanimously accepted the two amendments, of DIKO and EDEK, which on the one hand ensure that we secure the money from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, but on the other hand throw a cloak of protection to the public school.
"So everyone is satisfied. We are moving for a strong public school, we are moving to raise the money and on the other hand we are helping families so that their children can have access to public education for free," he added.
DISY MP Giorgos Karoullas said in a statement that the Parliament's Education Committee has finally reached a compromise solution for the implementation of the reform, which concerns the extension of pre-primary education from the age of 4 years.
"The contacts we had developed as DISY together with the other parties participating in the Committee, on the basis of amendments tabled by colleagues from other parties, led to the clear definition of a framework for the operation of this reform. The provisions that we have incorporated into the text of the draft regulation bill are also agreed with by the PDES. Therefore, today's protest by teachers outside the President's Office is rendered unnecessary. We have satisfied their concerns in this regard," he added.
This reform, Mr. Karoullas continued, which is headed to the plenary next Friday, December 2, benefits 1,800 households, with €12.2 million, which is part of the Recovery and Resilience Fund and concerns pre-primary education to start from 4 years to develop skills in children, the citizens of tomorrow, while supporting the working life of parents.
"We hope that this beginning made in matters of education for Cyprus Tomorrow will be successful to the maximum extent possible for the creative tomorrow of our country and we proved today as the Education Committee of the Parliament that in a creative way we can consent to the implementation of this great comprehensive reform," he added.
In a statement, AKEL MP Christos Christofides said that AKEL regrets the fact that the amendment tabled by AKEL, which was the amendment that clearly safeguarded the character of compulsory public education, was not adopted by the Education Committee.
"Of course, this amendment will also be tabled in the plenary session. We fully agree that compulsory, public, pre-primary education should be extended to four years. But the window opened by the Ministry of Education, for the first time to assign a part of public compulsory education to the private sector, creates serious problems and complications," he added.
From there, he said. Christofides, "it is damage management that we are doing if we want to be honest with ourselves and especially with the citizens who are listening to us."
"We will continue the effort so that the right of all children to public compulsory education is fully guaranteed. Can this be done? Of course it can be done, by meeting current needs, by converting community kindergartens into public kindergartens and by utilizing the vacant or other classrooms that exist in our communities and schools," he said.
EDEK MP Andreas Apostolou said in a statement that they have stated many times that it is through consensus that they find solutions, adding that today in the Education Committee they have discussed, in the presence of the Minister of Education, the bill for the downward reduction of pre-primary education, which will result in compulsory pre-primary education from 4 years.
"On the one hand we are allowing the Ministry of Education to proceed with its plans, taking the money from the EU, so that it can gradually extend the pre-primary until 2026 and on the other hand we have tabled the amendment, which was unanimously accepted by the Education Committee and by the Minister of Education himself, so that it commits the Ministry that from 2026-2027 and onwards all children will attend public kindergartens in their region," he added.
When, Apostolou continued, the Ministry of Education, in addition to the commitment to implement the Recovery Fund programme, there will also be a commitment so that it will implement the programme of gradual expansion and upgrading of the infrastructure of public kindergartens.
The MP of the Democratic Party - Cooperation, Alekos Tryfonidis, said in a statement that in its meeting today the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture examined the extension of compulsory pre-primary education from the age of four, where the Committee unanimously agreed with this extension on the condition that in the following years, education in public and community kindergartens will take precedence and when there are no places in them then only children will be enrolled in private kindergartens.
"This grant through the Recovery and Resilience Plan is around €12 million and the effort was and is to disburse this money for the benefit of education and without losing a single cent. The Education Committee unanimously made these amendments with the view that in 2027 the Ministry of Education will have all the infrastructure in place to absorb all the children in the public sector."
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
