The Council of Ministers met under the President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Anastasiades. The following decisions were taken. The total amount allocated for 2022 was EUR 15.8 million and therefore for this year there is an increase of 12% continuing the upward trend (2021:12.7 million, 2022: 15.8 million, 2023: 17.7 million).
In 2022 a total of 163 organisations were subsidised for 288 projects. Of these programmes, more than 120 involve childcare centres, crèches and other child protection and/or creative childcare facilities.
The "Connectivity Grant Scheme" was also approved, the main objective of which is to increase demand for super high-speed connections, while encouraging the market to invest in super high-speed networks. The scheme provides a subsidy to cover part of the set-up costs and part of the monthly subscription costs for the first 12 months of connection to broadband services with download speeds of at least 200 Mbps under peak conditions. The total value of the grant is a fixed amount of €120 per connection for one (1) year.
Eligible beneficiaries of the Scheme will be natural persons who are installing a connection for the first time or wish to upgrade their existing connection, which must be less than 100 Mbps, to a connection with services of at least 200 Mbps, regardless of the technology. More specifically, the beneficiaries of the Plan are households located in the Republic of Cyprus. The total budget of the Plan comes from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism funding of €10 million and, if required, from additional resources of €2 million. The Plan will be valid in total until the end of the second quarter of 2025, based on the targets/commitments set by the Republic of Cyprus in the Cyprus Tomorrow Plan, and its budget will be allocated through two successive calls.
Following a previous Decision of the Council of Ministers dated 12/10/2022 and taking into account the successful operation and positive results of the Interdisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Learning Day School at the Pancyprian Gymnasium in Nicosia and the opening this year of a Day School at the Lanitio Gymnasium in Limassol, it was decided to gradually expand the pilot operation of the Full Day School in all the Districts of Cyprus, following the model developed in the Pancyprian Gymnasium.
In the next school year, 2023-2024, the operation of a Full Day School of Interdisciplinary-Disciplinary Learning with the parallel operation of two directions - "STEAM" and "Greek Language and Culture" - in one Secondary School in each Province is planned. In Larnaca District it will operate in Evriviadesio High School, in Famagusta in Paralimnios High School and in Paphos in Nicolaides High School.
The operation of a full-day high school is complementary to the operation of the regular high school on the basis of the curriculum and does not constitute an extension of the morning classes. In the afternoon time it is possible to develop a separate programme with emphasis on Greek Language and Culture, as well as the science and technology programme known as S.T.E.A.M. In the two directions that make up the Full Day High School and are cultivated in parallel, a pedagogical approach and design based on the Project Based Learning model is adopted and applied and the key skills of the 21st century are cultivated.
(PM/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
