It is with great satisfaction that I welcome today's press conference, which concerns the implementation of the project "Learning Greek in kindergarten: A programme to support kindergarten teachers in teaching the Greek language to children of third country nationals", which is coordinated by the Directorate of Primary Education.
The project is part of both the President's Governance Programme and the actions of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth for the integration of children with migrant and refugee biographies into the Cypriot educational system.
The project is part of both the President's Governance Programme and the actions of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth for the integration of children with migrant and refugee biographies into the Cypriot educational system. An Interdepartmental Committee for this purpose operates within the Ministry of Education, which implements action plans with the contribution of all levels of education. The actions of the Interdepartmental Committee are based on the priorities of the relevant Policy Document, which were set by the Ministry in 2016 and which focus on five main axes: the learning of the Greek language, the reception of newly arrived students, the education and training of teachers, the collection and analysis of data on the needs of students with an immigrant biography and the intercultural approach to curricula.
Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Science show that a large number of our student population currently has a refugee or migrant biography. In primary education in particular, this percentage reaches about 20%, i.e. one in five children attending schools has another mother tongue. This element gives our education a cultural and linguistic pluralism, while at the same time highlighting the need to implement Greek language learning programmes, as it is the language of objectification of children's performance and progress in Cypriot schools.
The Ministry is implementing a series of programmes for the teaching of the Greek language at all levels, as well as for the promotion of the intercultural dimension in school activities and curricula, so that all children, irrespective of their nationality, are able to learn the Greek language.
The Ministry is implementing a series of programmes for the teaching of the Greek language at all levels, as well as for the promotion of the intercultural dimension in school activities and curricula, so that all children, irrespective of their nationality, are able to learn the Greek language. In secondary education, the creation of transitional classes in Gymnasiums, Lyceums and Technical Schools, as well as special programmes for unaccompanied children, is constantly increasing. In Primary Education, with the use of European funds, and specifically through the DPA.S.E.+ programme, the opportunity has been given to greatly increase the time spent teaching the Greek language - in some cases doubled and tripled - and to implement alternative education activities, through which children get to know their host country and integrate more smoothly into school and society.
Thus, on the basis of the priority axes of the relevant Policy Paper, the Ministry is constantly improving the programmes it offers for the integration of children with migrant and refugee biographies into the Cypriot education system. These programmes are also enriched and improved through partnerships with other organisations, such as various research centres and non-governmental organisations, but also through the use of European funds.
One such example is the project presented today, which utilises funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. This project focuses on an age that is particularly critical for children's development in all areas, pre-school education, for which provision is also made in the President's Governance Programme to further improve programmes and infrastructure as well as support for pre-school teachers.
The success of the programmes implemented in all education systems with different themes - for example, programmes for the prevention of violence and delinquency, programmes for successful digital transition, for literacy - is often due to the fact that they start their interventions at this very important age. Therefore, the implementation of focused actions by producing material that addresses the realistic needs of kindergartens for the reception of potential bilingual children and the learning of the Greek language from this age can only help their smooth integration into the host country and our educational system under the best conditions.
At this point, I would like to thank the Asylum, Immigration and Integration Fund for its long-standing cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the funding of this very important project, as well as the Directorate of Primary Education for its implementation.
In conclusion, I would like to wish, through this project and the other actions of the Ministry, to give the impetus to improve the attendance of children with an immigrant and refugee biography in our schools in all areas, in the context of our continuous efforts to ensure that all children get the maximum benefits from their participation in our educational system, in an inclusive, pedagogical and humane school above all else.
IP
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