-
.
- Ελληνικά
Dear children, dear teachers, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a special pleasure for me to be here today, at the award ceremony for the students who excelled in the Neolingian language competitions held during the school year 2023-24. I warmly congratulate the Association of Greek Cypriot Philologists, OELMEK and the charitable Fotos Fotiadis Foundation, which cooperated with the Directorates of Secondary General and Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training, for the co-organization and the successful conduct of the competitions.
As a result of their close cooperation and always under the guidance of their responsible teachers, our students made the most of their knowledge, developed their special talents and highlighted in the best possible way the targeted themes of the competitions in which they participated. Through these themes, they were able to deepen their study of our great poet Kostas Montis and his quality compositions, with which he served and promoted the art, speech and education of our country. At the same time, they thoroughly examined known and unknown aspects of the Turkish invasion and the ongoing occupation of our country, its painful consequences and the ongoing struggle of our people until the final vindication.
These objectives are served by the policies adopted by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, which promote, among other things, actions such as the student competitions. On the road to a modern, democratic and inclusive school, important objectives of our plans are the fruitful cultivation and creative development of the Greek language, as well as the development of metacognitive skills in children, so as to improve their ability to communicate in language. To this end, we are promoting a series of actions, in collaboration with Professor Georgios Babiniotis, with the ultimate goal of strengthening and upgrading the Greek language at all levels of education.
At the same time, we seek to cultivate in children the values of freedom, justice and love for their fellow man and their country, making them, at the same time, the future protagonists in the effort for the liberation and reunification of our country. To this end, we set as a priority the effective promotion of the timeless goal "Know, Don't Forget, Claim", which is being implemented in our schools.
Given the unacceptable situation that has prevailed in our land for fifty years and seeking to restore the human rights of all our fellow citizens, our concern is to bring our occupied land, its history, legends and traditions to life in the eyes and souls of our students, keeping the desire to return unquenched.
We are particularly pleased, since through the increased participation, as well as the innovative and creative approach to the themes of the competitions, the effective promotion of these objectives in our schools is evident.
Allow me at this point to thank in particular the "Fotos Fotiadis" Foundation for its significant contribution to the successful conduct of the competitions, as a continuation of its other multifaceted activities. The Foundation, implementing the vision of its founder, is carrying out important intellectual, cultural, social and educational work and is strengthening our own efforts to preserve our linguistic and national identity, as well as to further modernise our educational system.
I would also like to warmly congratulate the Organizing Committee, whose members, as well as all the teachers involved, have worked tirelessly and zealously to realize the objectives of the Competitions.
Addressing, in particular, the children, I would like to express my emotion and pride. As a whole, both those who excelled and those who participated demonstrated a high degree of mastery of language, grammar and syntax, both through their analysis of Kostas Montis' great poetry and through their statements and creations in the context of the competition "50 years later, the homeland still hurts".
Dear children,
As the title purposefully chosen for today's event suggests, our language is our homeland. You are the best and the best ambassadors of both. We invest in you, so that, as tomorrow's citizens of this country, you will continue to work for their progress and protection.
Rest assured and be assured that for our part, just as we have a duty towards you, we will continue to work with the same dedication in order to provide you with the necessary guarantees that will promote the all-round development of your personality and contribute effectively to the realization of your noble goals.
Thank you.
(IP/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
