The Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (YPAN), in cooperation with the UNHCR in Cyprus, organized a Workshop on: "Education against Racism", on Thursday, 23 March 2023, at the Pedagogical Institute in Nicosia. The Workshop was organised in the context of the World Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and addressed issues related to informing, raising awareness and reflection of teachers on issues of racism in education and ensuring children's rights. Specifically, the objectives of the workshop were to explore ways to create an inclusive school environment where all children, regardless of their origin, appearance, religion or other characteristics, feel safe and respected. The Workshop was attended by more than 100 teachers of all levels.
The participants were welcomed by the Deputy Director of the Pedagogical Institute Dr. Elena Hadjikakou and greetings were given by Mrs. Katja Saha, UNHCR Representative in Cyprus and the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Dr. Athena Michaelidou.
The participants were welcomed by the Deputy Director of the Pedagogical Institute Dr. Elena Hadjikakou and greetings were given by Mrs. Katja Saha, UNHCR Representative in Cyprus and the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Dr. Athena Michaelidou.
The Minister in her greeting particularly stressed the importance of systematic implementation of the Ministry's Anti-Racism Policy in order to create a school environment in which every child feels comfortable, regardless of any of his/her particularities. The UNHCR Representative, referring to the increasing trends in the number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide and the tragedy that these numbers reflect in the lives of the people affected, especially children, underlined the important role that teachers around the world play in the integration of refugee children in schools in host countries, including Cyprus. In her statement, the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, Ms Despo Michaelidou-Livaniou, stressed the obligation of the State to act preventively, deterrently, directly and repressively against racism, reflecting the State's commitment to the principles of human dignity, respect and equality and reinforcing the vision of democracy: "Racism as a multidimensional social phenomenon: its implications in the educational field and in the lives of children", Dr Spyros Spyrou, Professor of Social Anthropology from the European University, analysed racism and its educational implications as a highly complex and multidimensional social phenomenon that needs to be understood as such, both within its broader ideological context and within the local context.
Subsequently, the participants had the opportunity to attend one of the five parallel workshops of the Workshop which covered, through an experiential approach, issues related to education against racism, such as teaching and dealing with racism in school, teaching Greek as a second language, managing challenges, hate speech and the application of educational material of UNHCR Cyprus and the Historical Dialogue and Research Group.
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