It is with great pleasure that I am back at the Pedagogical Institute, in a different role, to preach the proceedings of the Workshop "Education against Racism". As we all know, the school environment is characterised by multiple forms of diversity, some more familiar in the public sphere - such as ethnicity, appearance, gender - and others less familiar - such as sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, beliefs seeking recognition, respect and protection. In these circumstances, it is important to ensure for all members of the school community an environment of safety, respect for diversity, non-discrimination and equality, where all pupils can enjoy to the full the educational opportunities available to them.
In such an environment, any manifestation of racist behaviour must be identified, recognised and dealt with promptly and decisively. Otherwise, such behaviour and the failure to address it hurts the victims, not only as individuals but also as members of the group against which it is directed, and has serious repercussions for the whole school community. The creation of a racism-free school environment contributes significantly to building a just society.
A number of studies in the Cypriot education system, including the work of today's keynote speaker, Professor Spyros Spyrou, have for years identified multiple functions of racism in everyday school life and stress the need for teacher training on issues of diversity and racism, as well as the need to create and implement anti-racism policies.
A number of studies in the Cypriot education system, including the work of today's keynote speaker, Professor Spyros Spyrou, have for years identified multiple functions of racism in everyday school life and stress the need for teacher training on issues of diversity and racism, as well as the need for the creation and implementation of anti-racism policies. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that all persons enjoy the benefit of education to the fullest, without discrimination and without intimidation. At the same time, it is our obligation to urge and encourage the recipients of any racist behaviour to report it, protecting them from any adverse consequences. At the same time, this creates conditions of trust for investigating incidents, improves learning conditions and enhances the whole educational process.
We know from research that the most effective measure to prevent and combat discrimination, intolerance and racism is the development and systematic implementation of a specific and clear anti-racism policy at school level. The development and implementation of such a Code responds to a recommendation of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to all Member States, including Cyprus. In this context, the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (MPAN) prepared in 2016 detailed specifications for the development and implementation of a Code of Conduct against Racism and a Guide for the Management and Recording of Racist Incidents, i.e. the Anti-Racist Policy. In particular, in the European Commission's General Policy Recommendation No. 106 against Racism and Intolerance, the Commission recommends that, through school education, racism and racial discrimination at school should be combated. It recommends that this be done through a permanent policy, including the establishment of a system for monitoring racist incidents, the adoption of measures for the protection of victims and educational management of incidents. These measures may include the imposition of severe and proportionate sanctions and the adoption of a Code of Conduct against Racism and Racist Incidents. ECRI also recommends that all teaching staff be trained to work in a multicultural environment responsive to the needs of pupils from different backgrounds and to be informed about racism, racial discrimination, human rights and relevant laws. The aim is for teaching staff to prevent direct or indirect manifestations of racism and racial discrimination in schools by reacting in a timely and effective manner.
The systematic implementation of the Ministry's anti-racism policy in the school unit, with its functional inclusion in the school curriculum, and the management of racist incidents with consistency and stability, contribute to the creation of a school environment in which every child feels comfortable regardless of any particularities.
Modern crises at European and global level have created new data regarding the composition of the student population in Cyprus as well. A large number of children with migrant and refugee biographies attend school classes. This fact contributes to the accumulation of linguistic and cultural richness, while at the same time creating some special needs for the educational and social empowerment of these children. For the above reasons, the Ministry of Education and Culture in March 2011 instructed the establishment of an Interdepartmental Committee for the integration of children with an immigrant biography in the Cypriot educational system, consisting of representatives of all the Directorates and Services of the Ministry. In the framework of the work of the Committee, the existing situation in Primary and Secondary General Education was mapped and an action plan was prepared for the management of issues related to the integration of children with an immigrant biography in schools in Cyprus, through a holistic approach. In May 2016, a Policy Paper was approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture and on the basis of this, the Directorates were invited to adopt its contents and to prepare an action plan for the reception and integration of children with an immigrant biography in the Cypriot education system.
Therefore, the integration of children with an immigrant biography in the education system and in society in general, requires the efforts of the schools that receive them to be carried out under a holistic approach. It is important that these efforts are made in the right direction and from the right perspective, which looks forward to respecting their cultural and linguistic capital, as well as their psychological support in cases of refugee and traumatic experiences.
Further, "school for all", as inclusive schooling is often referred to, is both supported and supported by the policies of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the curriculum of all levels of education. Inclusive schooling promotes the principles of a democratic education system and is structured and framed by the universal principles of human rights education. At the same time, the signing by the Republic of Cyprus of international Conventions such as:
- the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
- the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention,
- the Council of Europe's Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse,
- the European Commission's Recommendations against racism and intolerance,
- the European Parliament's most recent call for a European directive to prevent and combat all forms of gender-based violence,
are important, binding instruments that contribute substantially to the formulation of our Ministry's policies for quality and inclusive education.
Today's conference is also, I believe, a step towards the implementation of the President's Governance Programme for the next five years. I would like to emphasize the emphasis on a human-centered approach to education with the aim of establishing principles, values and skills that distinguish democratic and critically thinking active citizens of our society. Through our proposals we aim to shape an education system in which every child, every young person has the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities to the fullest extent. In particular, among the commitments of the Governance Programme is the reduction of numbers of pupils per class in schools with large numbers of children with migrant biographies and their better distribution in order to facilitate the educational process, while aiming to reduce early school leaving rates. In addition, we will seek to further enrich our educational programmes with actions that promote empathy, prevention, addressing bullying, environmental awareness, gender equality and respect for diversity. The aim is also to evaluate the effectiveness of the Code of Conduct against Racism in Schools and the Guide for the Management and Recording of Racist Incidents, with a view to upgrading educational programmes and actions that empower schools and foster a strong preventive attitude towards incidents of any kind of discrimination.
In conclusion, I would like to warmly congratulate the Pedagogical Institute, the UNHCR, with whom we have a long-standing cooperation, as well as all those who collaborated for the implementation of today's workshop.
I wish every success in the proceedings of the Workshop.
IP
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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