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- Ελληνικά
It is a special pleasure for me to be with you today, to address the conference on "Professional Learning in the Multilingual Environment of Cyprus: Examples and Applications". This conference, as its title suggests, is another important guide for the teaching of the Greek language in the new conditions of multiculturalism that have emerged in recent years in our country.
Undoubtedly, developments in the geopolitical environment in our region have made Cyprus a host country for refugees and immigrants, which highlights the need for the implementation of Greek language learning programmes. In this context, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth has adopted, since 2016, a policy document for the integration of students with an immigrant biography into the Cypriot educational system. Focusing on the priority axes of this document, we seek to ensure the right of every person to education by implementing a series of targeted actions and policies.
As envisaged in the Governance Programme, our plans concern the evaluation of the existing infrastructure, programmes and the way schools operate and then their further improvement, with the ultimate aim of supporting and strengthening the work of teachers, as well as the effective coverage of the needs of children and young people. During the conference, teachers are expected to be informed about the ways and methodology of approaching the teaching of Greek as a second language to children with an immigrant biography, through examples and applications from teaching practice. The project focuses on preschool age, during which the foundations can be laid for the successful integration of emerging bilingual children in our educational system and the effortless learning of the Greek language.
Bilingual children attending kindergarten show biographical continuity in language learning, after receiving the necessary support. The particularity of bilingual children attending kindergarten lies in the fact that these children learn the Greek language during their contact with native speakers of the language, through the interaction achieved through play, cognitive objects and targeted support interventions by the kindergarten teacher. This way of learning a new language is fully aligned with the Council of Europe guidelines and can serve as an example for the adoption of good practices in other levels of education.
The Directorate of Primary Education, with co-funding from the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus, in implementing this project, is creating materials that will support the implementation of differentiated work by the kindergarten teacher for the learning of the Greek language. The material being prepared will be digital and interactive, fully meeting the Ministry's objectives for digital transition and modernisation of teaching, while the theoretical basis for its development is based on contemporary literature. The whole activity falls within the broader policy of our Ministry for children with immigrant biography, which is coordinated by the Pedagogical Institute.
For the proper implementation and utilization of the material that is in the process of production, the Directorate of Primary Education organizes relevant trainings for understanding the basic philosophy of teaching Greek as a second language. The main collaborator in this effort is the Associate Professor at the Democritus University of Thrace and member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Educational Policy in Greece, Mrs. Maria Mitssiaki. Mrs Mitsiaki, the scientific and academic responsible for the development of the Curriculum for Greek as a Second Language in Cyprus, has been a close collaborator of our Ministry for many years. Mrs Mitsiaki, I welcome you once again to Cyprus and thank you for our long-standing cooperation, which we hope will continue on other levels as well.
I would also like to thank the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for its constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and for funding this very important project, the Directorate of Primary Education for coordinating the project, as well as all the teachers participating in the Conference.
Dear friends,
Your presence here today demonstrates your continued concern and commitment to your professional development. Be assured that the Ministry will be by your side to support the demanding work you are called upon to carry out every day. I have no doubt that through our united and constructive cooperation we will achieve our common goal of creating an inclusive school that promotes the cognitive development and progress of all children.
(NΓ)
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