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It is with great pleasure that I participate in today's event to welcome the opening of the 5th International Conference entitled "Literacy and Contemporary Society: Creativity, Equality, Social Action" organized by the Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the University of Cyprus.
This is undoubtedly an important and timely Conference, which is confirmed by the very interesting themes, the presence of renowned speakers and the increased participation of participants. Moreover, the study and analysis of the targeted subject matter addressed by the Conference and, by extension, the results that will be obtained at the end of its work will serve as a guide for the implementation and realisation of policies and actions that will contribute to the further improvement of our educational system. And as I have repeatedly stated - and I will not stop stating it - for our government the sector of Education, the sector of Education is our highest priority and it is precisely from this perspective that the continuous improvement of our educational system is a primary objective.
This year's Conference takes place in a period of international uncertainty. Conflicts, both in the heart of Europe and in the Middle East, among the many negative effects they bring, reinforce poverty and inequality. At the same time, and coming from Dubai where I participated in the International Climate Summit, the now frequent phenomenon of natural disasters, as a consequence of climate change, threatens the future of humanity and, by extension, of the younger generation.
To what I have just said, I must add the fact that online and digital technologies, which undoubtedly create many opportunities, at the same time create uncertainty for a significant part of the population. In this context of the many and varied challenges we face, which undoubtedly affect us all, it is also necessary to constantly adapt education and schools so that they can respond to the current situation and successfully deal with any negative consequences that may arise.
It is precisely for this reason that the contemporary international educational and academic community, as well as European and international organisations related to education, attach great importance today to the promotion of literacy. Literacy which, just like the definition of literacy, continues to this day to include the traditional notion of literacy as the ability to read and write, but has now acquired a more contextualised perspective and is therefore becoming more dynamic. Thus, in today's world literacy is redefined as the negotiation of meaning and the creation of performances in a variety of contexts, social, school, digital and many others. It is at the same time understood that the development of high literacy skills is essential to improve the quality of life, our everyday life, as well as to promote social development at all levels. It is precisely for this reason that we have placed the development of literacy actions at the core of education, attaching particular importance to the continuous improvement of the learning process.
As set out in our Governance Programme and as I have already mentioned, Education is our number one priority. We recognise the importance of Education as a decisive factor - the most decisive factor - both for the education of our young people and for the overall social, and not only social, progress of our country. At the same time, we are fully aware that our young people are the future citizens who, among many other things, will have to take over the reins of our country, contributing creatively and substantially to its development.
Our main objective is, therefore, to address the chronic distortions of the educational system and, at the same time, to lay the foundations for its evolution into a modern system that will lay the foundation for the principles and values, knowledge and skills that we want to distinguish democratic, critical thinking, creative and active citizens of Cypriot society. Moreover, the results of international and European surveys fully document the need for changes and improvements.
Our vision is to promote a human-centred and quality school for all children. To achieve this, we need to further strengthen our actions so that the school can address all children, without exceptions or segregation, in a way that respects their diversity, interests, abilities and talents, with the aim of strengthening their personality, shaping their all-round character and enhancing their mental health.
To this end, we promote the development of modern and flexible curricula, based on the principles of universal design. Through long-term planning we seek to ensure the right of all children to equal opportunities for access and participation in the educational process and in their school community within the framework of what we call inclusive schooling.
At the same time, we promote the creation of the necessary building and physical infrastructure, seeking to make our schools places that inspire our children, places where our children feel happy and go to school in the morning with pleasure.
At the same time, we invest in further strengthening our human resources. We seek to ensure that all our teachers - all of you - the key component of our Education, are able to respond even better to your highly demanding, multifaceted and complex role.
Aiming therefore at the implementation of what I have just mentioned, at the immediate implementation of the actions we have planned, many of which are in line with the themes of today's Conference, which I am sure the Minister will elaborate in more detail in her presentation that will follow, we have already moved, from day one, from words to deeds, i.e. the implementation of specific innovative solutions, and at the same time we are promoting a series of others, aiming at a radical reform that will lead to the qualitative upgrading of the educational system.
All the above, the realization of our vision for Education, our efforts for a better school cannot be realized unless the readiness and conscientiousness of our teachers, the full awareness of the needs of our children and young people and the excellent cooperation with parents and guardians coexist. The cooperation of all is essential. It is a prerequisite in the context of the participatory democracy we are promoting if our schools are to succeed in bringing together our aspirations for all-round development, for education and creation, but above all for the well-being and happiness of our children.
I want to take the opportunity of my presence here today to assure you that both I personally and the Minister, with whom we are in constant contact and consultation and with whom she is doing an excellent job, will further strengthen cooperation and contact with the academic, educational and student community as well as with parents and guardians with the sole aim of promoting the best interests of our children.
In order to achieve the goal of educational change in collaboration with the Educational Service Commission, relevant research and scientific documentation is essential. It is precisely in this context that the organization of today's conference, which has been successfully held for the past few years, falls within this framework. The presentations of the research results, the discussions, the networking, the findings of the conference are very important for us as they provide us with important information and documentation to strengthen our efforts and achieve our goals.
Before closing, allow me to congratulate the Pedagogical Institute and the University of Cyprus for cooperating and organizing this International Scientific Conference for the fifth time. I would particularly like to congratulate the organizing and scientific committee of the Conference, the academics from all public and private universities in our country, as well as academics from abroad, and the officials and officials of the Ministry of Education.
I therefore declare the opening of the Conference. For us, what is most important are the findings of this Conference which we are eagerly awaiting.
(RM/EAθ/ASP)
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