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It is with great pleasure that I am attending today's ceremony organised on the occasion of the completion of the "European Parliament Ambassador School" programme and the awarding of the students of the Second High School who excelled in the Second Pancyprian Euro Literacy Contest.
Before any other mention, I would like to highlight the results of the close cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the European Parliament Office in Cyprus. Thanks to the contribution of the Office, actions are promoted which enhance the easy adaptation of our young people to the ever-evolving European society, offering them unique opportunities. A typical example of these actions are, among others, the programme and the competition, the results of which are presented today.
The programme "Pan-European Network of Ambassador Schools", which involves almost 1750 schools, including 25 in Cyprus, 3700 teachers and 23000 students, aims to help put into practice a common European vision. It is this vision that we seek to convey and make our students experience. As European citizens we have been nurtured with the same universal values and ideals, we share the same challenges, the same visions, the same ambitions. Visions and ambitions that have always been driven by the consolidation of democracy and the prevalence of peace.
Today, when the world is tested by a multitude of challenges, when the invasion of Ukraine tramples on the values and principles we defend, when our own country remains the only divided European state, the Union is called upon to strengthen and defend its role of creation. As the President of the European Parliament, Mrs Roberta Metsola, said. I am convinced that, because of Europe, the world that is coming will be better than the one we are leaving behind. I am full of hope for the future (...) when I look at young people all over Europe, I know that the future is bright."
It is therefore undoubtedly important and our duty to equip our young people with the necessary skills as citizens who will be called upon to take charge of the future and progress of the European Union. It is our duty to upgrade their knowledge of its structure, the role and functioning of its institutions. To enable them to know and understand their rights and to understand how they can participate more actively in shaping public life and in consolidating democracy and peace. This is precisely the objective that the Ministry is promoting by integrating relevant educational and other activities into the learning process. As the results of the programme and the competition, which will be presented below, show, we can feel very optimistic about our common home, Europe and its future.
My dear children,
The effort you have made has been commendable and you deserve our warmest congratulations. You competed with hundreds of students from all over Cyprus and managed to distinguish yourselves through a very demanding process. A process in which you became acquainted with European diversity and solidarity, European issues and institutions. Remember that you are the ambassadors of the values and ideals that distinguish European civilisation.
Dear teachers,
Your role in the success of the actions is undoubtedly decisive. I congratulate you on your enthusiasm, energy and hard work and applaud your efforts to bring Europe into your classrooms and the school community. The actions, the workshops, the preparation of your pupils, enhance your educational work in many ways, strengthen the European project and lay a stronger foundation for democracy.
I would also like to express my warmest congratulations to the school managements who coordinated and supported the work of those involved.
In conclusion, I would like to express my warmest thanks to Mr Andreas Kettis and the staff of the European Parliament Office. Their excellent cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth is a source of knowledge and an area of fruitful dialogue and reflection for our students. Above all, it is a powerful factor in broadening their horizons.
I have no doubt that the young people of Cyprus, as active citizens, will take the lead in building the Europe we all envision.
IP/SX
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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