[PIO] The Minister of Education, Sport and Youth participated in the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture to discuss the issue of the

The Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Ms Athina Michailidou, participated today in the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Culture to discuss the issue of extending free compulsory pre-primary education from the age of 4.

In a statement after the session, Ms. Michaelidou said:

"We discussed today in the Parliamentary Committee on Education the proposal of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth to extend free, compulsory pre-primary education from the age of 4.

This is a project included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan and on which we have had several issues in the past period. It was started by the previous administration. We have made certain refinements adjustments and we have reached an agreement with the European Commission so that we do not lose a single cent from this program.

So we are making full use of the almost €12.5 million that the Recovery Fund is giving us until 2026 and we are accepting children from four years and six months from next September, if this is approved by Parliament, instead of four years and eight months that we are currently accepting. Year by year we will go down in age, so that in 2030 we will be able to accept in our schools, compulsory and free of charge, in public and community kindergartens, children from the age of four.

We all understand that it is very important that our children from the age of four attend school in a school context, that is, that they have the opportunity of two years of pre-primary education instead of one. It is an indicator of quality, through all the European Commission studies, and it seems that attending two years of pre-primary education has much better results, not only in terms of learning but also socially, for these children, and in terms of their behaviour in terms of violence, delinquency, but also in terms of early diagnosis and prevention. I am referring here to literacy issues, children who have dyslexia, children who have learning problems, which we can diagnose early from the age of four, so that children are better prepared for primary and secondary education later on.

At the same time, we have agreed with the European Commission that we are taking this year and we can use money until 2026 for infrastructure. So we win this too, we improve, develop, expand the infrastructure in public kindergartens. And finally, we should stress that in this effort, new kindergarten classes are being created, conditions are being created to improve our education system more broadly, in terms of this crucial stage, the first stage that our children will attend, and if this passes in the end, 22.5 thousand children will benefit from attending public kindergartens and about 13 thousand children will benefit from attending community kindergartens.

At the same time, we are not preventing anyone who wants to enroll their child in a private school.

At the same time, we are not preventing anyone from enrolling their child in a private school. Already from 2025, a program of the State Ministry of Social Welfare continues to subsidize parents to send their children to private schools. Even after 2030, as is currently the case with primary, secondary and high schools, every parent has the right to enroll their child in a private school and as our statistics show, about 20% of parents decide, even though public schooling is free, to have their children attend a private school. Therefore, we believe that by continuing the discussion that we will have in the coming days in the Education Committee, we will reach a positive conclusion, so that very soon we will open the registration platform to accept the first children in September, from the age of four years and six months."

Subsequently, Ms. Michailidou answered questions from reporters.

Asked if new teachers will be appointed, Michailidou replied that there is a need for around 250 new kindergarten teachers in this eight-year period.

Asked if there is a timeframe within which the Plenary Session of Parliament should vote on this bill, the Minister said: "There is not, but we want it as soon as possible so that we can have the registrations, so that we can also see what the needs are. Where we have more enrolments we will run to improve or expand the infrastructure. So it's important for us to do it within the next two or three weeks."

In a comment that within the Commission she mentioned that she would be visiting the European Parliament in the next few days and what the reason for her visit was, Michailidou noted: "It is a very positive outcome of some of the efforts of our MEPs and especially Mr. Fourlas. I have been invited to the Education Committee of the European Parliament to present the issue of Rizokarpassos, the difficulties we face for our teachers there, for the operation of our school, for the transport and movement of educational material, for the control that is done and I believe that this is the first time that this emphasis will be given to our problem, to the Cypriot issue from an educational point of view".

Asked if she will ask for something specific for the children and teachers in Rizokarpaso, Michailidou said: "Yes, we will ask that they have equal treatment with all other children, that they have the right, but this should be implemented in practice, of access to their books, to their teachers, that the school inspector can visit Rizokarpaso, for example, because at the moment we are not allowed, so that lessons can take place unhindered and, above all, that we can see that the children and teachers there are thriving and striving for the best."

Asked about the cost of the reform concerning pre-primary education, Michailidou replied that apart from almost €12.5 million for the first two years, over the whole period until the end, it is around €127 million, which includes everything.

Finally, answering a question whether there is a possibility that the European Commission or the state could extend these programmes beyond 2031, the minister said: "The State will necessarily have to include from now on, this is the commitment, in its budgets, the cost of running these programmes from national resources. That is, we are obliged from 2030-31 onwards to accept free of charge from the age of four those children who wish to attend public schools."

IP

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