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- Ελληνικά
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to address this special event, for the fifty years of contribution and creation of Agios Neophytos Paphos High School. The event is a tribute to all those who contributed to the operation and development of this historic school, making it, through whatever position they served, one of the educational institutions with a significant contribution to education, history, spiritual and social life of our country.
Representing today the President of the Republic, who was unable to attend due to other commitments, I would like to convey his greetings and wishes for the continuation of the School's distinguished course and for more personal and collective successes.
Undoubtedly, the establishment and operation of the School in 1974, immediately after the barking days of that black summer, was an important event for the wider region, as it marked a new era for the education and upbringing of the new generation of the city and province of Paphos. Through the assistance of the Monastery of Saint Neophytos, which embraced the student and educational community from the very beginning, the school, which initially functioned as a Gymnasium, became a spiritual centre and a beehive of knowledge, honouring and vindicating the pioneers of its foundation and its benefactors.
A decisive factor in this direction was the contribution of the respective management, teachers and other staff, who accompanied and adorned the operation and development of the school from the very beginning until today. Their dedication and zeal are reflected in their rich educational work, as well as in the formation and development of the personalities of the children who have attended the school over the years. It is no coincidence that the school, since its foundation, has been associated with great successes of its students on an intellectual, social, cultural and sporting level, while its graduates stand out, both for their professional careers and as active and energetic citizens.
What I must point out is the decisive contribution of the school to the preservation of our national consciousness and identity.
What I must point out is the decisive contribution of the school to the preservation of our national consciousness and identity. The school, which began operating in the period immediately after the Turkish invasion, identified its path with the struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland and became a nucleus of high morale, instilling in the student community the desire to return to our ancestral values.
As the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, fifty years after the Turkish invasion and with the illegal occupation continuing, we continue to dynamically cultivate "I do not forget, I fight, I claim", as our debt to the new generation, the future of this country. We must, together with our teachers, provide our students with all the skills that will help them develop into citizens capable of contributing to the progress, prosperity and liberation of our country.
In this direction, the work carried out by you, the management and the teaching staff of Agios Neophytos Paphos High School, as well as the achievements of you, the students, are considered particularly important. I therefore extend my warmest congratulations to all of you, and I assure you that the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth will continue to stand by your side, ready to discuss your suggestions, so that your school will continue to be recognized as an important educational institution, as a nursery of knowledge and values.
Dear children, dear teachers,
Your passing through this great school alone gives you the right to feel proud. Honoring the vision of its founders and benefactors, follow in the footsteps of the great teachers who have served it, as well as the students who have crossed its threshold and distinguished themselves for their ethics and knowledge. Motivated by their example and with the achievements of your school as a beacon, you can write your own new pages of contribution to your country and our society, which will always be reflected in Agios Neophytos Paphos Lyceum.
Thank you.
(MS/NYAN)
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