At the beginning of the year,the English School,under the leadership of the competent new headmistress,set in motion a procedure to develop an anti-bullying policy. A working group of teachers,parents and students (to which I was also appointed),took part in this initiative. After an intensive process,a policy,based on local &international procedures,guidelines and legislation,was finalised and approved by the schools stakeholders. Now the school has a tool to process and tackle bullying behaviour,including racist one,which according to the guidance is considered to be the most serious form of bullying.
Here is an attempt to view the latest rezilikia,within the setting of anti bullying policies and guidelines……..
1. THE BULLIES IN SUIT AND TIE
On the 21st of this month I attended a meeting of parents at the school,to discuss the freezing by the Parliamentary Finance Committee,of the state funding of English School and the possible relation this could have,with attempts by greek nationalist circles,to abolish the Bayram Holiday of the school.
60-70 parents,the majority being Turkish Cypriots,attended the meeting,where a member of the School Management Board,confirmed the Bayram connection –the Board has been briefed by the Headmistress,that she attended a meeting with Nikolas Papadopoulos,president of the Finance Committee,to which she was asked to go alone. There the freezing of the funds was discussed and after lecturing her for 1 hour about the “ill functions” of the school,he advised her to abolish the Bayram Holiday.
The parents at the meeting were shocked and upset by the politician’s out of order intervention,to which they now became secondary witnesses. He has in effect blackmailed the school,using his position of POWER. And has put the school in the impossible position of having to choose between practicing religious intolerance and discrimination which is illegal,or enter into extreme financial difficulties. Like the big bully in the school yard who threatens a kid under his power,to beat up another kid or else …….
In the setting of anti bullying policies and guidelines,Nikolas Papadopoulos’s acts,fall within 3 different definitions of bullying:
- Disrespecting or taking discriminatory actions against a person’s cultural or religious identity.
- It involves an imbalance of power,leaving someone feeling helpless to prevent it or put a stop to it
- Causes feelings of distress,fear,loneliness and lack of confidence in those who are at the receiving end.
Now if the school gives in to the politician’s blackmail,it will render its own attempts to tackle bullying,through policy formatting and training,void and meaningless. It will also be breaking the “The Law of English School (Management and Control) (Law167) Section 3″,which states that “the school should make provisions for all the students (including Muslim) to practice their own religion”.
As far as Papadopoulos’s political intervention in the educational processes of the school is concerned,let’s see what his sister Anastasia had to say a year ago,in a newspaper interview,defending her friends from the cyberbully englishschoolnews.com.:
“Και δεν καταλαβαίνω γιατί δεν αποδέχονται την απλούστατη απαίτηση της κίνησης των γονέων που ζητούν απλά να κρατηθεί η πολιτική έξω από το σχολείο.” (I don’t understand why they don’t accept the simple demand of the parents who simply ask for politics to be kept outside the school). Politics in this instance refers to the training teachers had in Ireland,in order to equip themselves with skills for the big changes brought about in the school,after the return of Turkish Cypriots students in 2004. On a similar tone,i.e. a call for no “political intervention”,are 2 emails I received from Central Bank of Cyprus,one of them originating from info@englishschoolnews.com,campaigning in favor of the patriot parents in last year’s ESPA election.
If they were so much against “political intervention” last year,how come they so brutally practice it now? The answer has been given by a blogger –greek nationalists demand and usually have,preferential treatment. I add that when the greek nationalists happen to be also upper class,then they demand “preferential treatment to the square” (talking in mathematical terms and commemorating my super hero maths teacher,mr Ierodiakonou)!……
2. THE MASKED BULLIES
While the above mentioned meeting of parents was taking place in the new science building,2 masked men entered the building. They were confronted by a 6th year Turkish Cypriot female student,while climbing the stairs and after hiding for a while,they left,swearing and making gestures to her. Later that evening I heard another girl,a 14 year old,saying that had she been there,she would also stand up against them –and even though she would be really scared,she would say to them “I am also turkish cypriot” (although she is not really). The school has succeeded in empowering girls to stand up against racist bullying,as set out in the policy:“Intervene,if you can,to prevent the bullying from taking place”.
I am confident that the school will do the same. And achieve the anti bullying policy’s aim
“to provide a safe,secure and positive environment for all the children and staff… promote respect for self and others and encourage mutual respect between all members of the School community.” The head ms Duncan in her first presentation to the parents,emphasized the importance of building trust and credibility through openness and honesty. The exposure of Papadopoulos’s bullying and his subsequent ridicule (rezili),is a result of her stance. A stance which is in stark contrast to the ethics of the patriot parents and their patrons. Who use misinformation,secrecy and lies,to create nationalist hysteria around the school,which is then propagated by the nationalist media,resulting in upheaval and escalated violence in the school. On another but equally significant level their actions amount to incitment of racial hatred,in breach of sections 3,4 and 5 of the “Law of Equal treatment of Persons irrespective of Racial or National Origin Law 59(1)/04″of the Cyprus Republic.
Now what should we parents do,to tackle the bullies in suits and ties? After seeing one after the other,“human activist lawyers” parade through and in support to,the cyberbullying blog “Christofias Watch”,I have lost faith in local human rights remedies. And anyway the bullies have to be judged by something higher and above the House of Parliament,to which some of them belong. So the decision is,that the “human rights judgment game” will be played in European Union ground.
In the meantime it is only right to put THE question to them:
“Εσύ,ποιος είσαι να κάνεις διακρίσεις?”
-
“Who are you to discriminate?”
Loading ...
This is outrageous and disgusting.
In a time where we are trying to find a solution to problems that our country is facing,such a behaviour should not be accepted. And what saddens me the most is that nobody has ever tried to stop these fascist bastards from opening their mouths and also controlling the fate of a school.
What the hell are they trying to achieve? Create hatred? Papadopoulos should not be allowed to have a say in whether a school gets financial support from the government. Especially when it comes to racial and religious matters.
These people should be kept away from holding positions that affect the Cypriot society. They do not contribute in ANY way to overcome problems or even help development of society through schooling let’s say. Just like a modern Nazi freezing funds to achieve his sick political scope.
Disgust is the word.. no further comments.
These incidents show that there should be mass education of tolerance and respect to the other culture of the citizens of this Republic. This could be done mainly through the state-owned mass media and also through private channels.
Unfortunately,the period of the AKEL-coalition governments was not used enough for this purpose. If some G/C pupils and young ones think that the T/Cs are the children of the Turkish settlers,what could I say more? When 51% of all the G/Cs have not visited the Turkish occupied part of our island or if they do not have an idea who the T/Cs are,with whom the G/Cs lived on this island for more than 400 years. It is a pity to observe that the RoC is not a secular state and has built up a Greek Cypriot Orthodox Christian identity,which excludes the co-founder Turkish Cypriots and their Moslem culture and the culture of the other minorities living on this island.
Let me give you an example of exclusion even by the so-called internationalists! Kavazoglu-Mishaoulis Friendship Association and the EDON made a project in order to find out the documents of the good all days of cooperation between 1920-1974 from the old G/C and T/C press. I applied them to help,since I already looked through all the T/C press and have also published material related with this subject. But unfortunately,they were not willing to cooperate with me. Now I heard that the project is completed and the documents will be put on the internet for the use of the interested persons. There was a presentation of the webpage on the 23 June as I heard,but I was not even invited to the event. That is the approach of the EDON for cooperation and respect to the research already done in this subject.
I can tell give you another example. The House of the Representatives will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with an exhibition at the Famagusta Gate. I was approached through a T/C friend to give some information about the T/C members of the first House of Representatives. I visited the House and wrote down what they wanted to get clarified. I sent them back the information they needed in three e-mails,but I did not get even a “Thank you” response!
I also read from the G/C press summary that the T/C students of the English School wanted that the 15 November,the date of the UDI in the occupied northern part of our island,would be a holiday for the T/C students,apart from the Moslem religious days,which are written in the Constitution of Cyprus. I do not support this proposal,which reminded me the year 1961,when the T/C Communal Chamber wanted to celebrate the anniversary of the 6/7 June 1958 provocations against the G/C community. Turkish Ambassador in Nicosia Mr.Emin Dirvana was against this decision of the T/C Communal Chamber,which was not observed later.
I believe that all the prejudices and provocations of the nationalists will disappear with organized education of the masses. We have to start paving the way for understanding and cooperation as soon as possible.
There’s no more paving the way dear Ahmet. When you get masked figures in our schools you’re already past that! We need to act now before the worst comes. If our leaders won’t do it we must take the lead otherwise we will have the fate of many well-intentioned individuals:overtaken by events or victimized.
you really need to get a life you guys…..
Yup,hopefully one where no masked dickheads are around…
As a Cypriot parent and taxpayer,my question is not about which religious holidays should be observed in the English School. Instead it is about the need (?) to allocate every year state funds to a private school with high tuition fees while there are public schools that are still lacking in basic infrastructure and need support.
@Giorgos:
You pose a valid question but it has been like that from the beginning,it’s not something that came up now.
It is also quite irrelevant to the subject at hand. Many organisations are supported by the state that does not mean that Mr Papadopoulos or any number of masked thugs should push their agendas through these funds.
I am not a parent but if masked thugs appeaed in my children’s school I would be moving as far away from this island as possible…
OUR VIEW:THE ENGLISH SCHOOL FIGHTING FOR ITS SOUL
IT IS A great shame that the English School,the island’s oldest private school,has been turned into a battleground by two political factions fighting for the soul of such a revered establishment. The rows have become a part of the school’s life ever since the Turkish Cypriots returned to the school in 2003,after a 29-year absence because of the division.
Since then,the school’s board and management team have been trying to bring about changes reflecting the bi-communal character of the English School,but on every decision they have encountered the vehement opposition of a group of parents who did not want any allowance made for the presence of Turkish Cypriot students. When the school decided to take down icons from the classroom,the parents kicked up a fuss;when it was decided that the annual trip abroad would no longer be to Greece,they were up in arms.
There were also disputes over the decision to stop singing the Greek national anthem,hoisting the Greek flag and celebrating Greek national holidays. The protesting group of parents could not accept that rubbing Greek national pride in the faces of Turkish Cypriot students was not the best way to promote inclusiveness and tolerance. For 30 years things had been done differently and should not be changed just because Turkish Cypriots were at the school,these parents argued,adding that if they did not like seeing the Greek flag and hearing the national anthem they should go to another school.
By the same logic,these parents could have been told that if they wanted their children to have a Greek education that promoted Greek values and culture,they should go to a state school. In its 110-year history,with the exception of the 30 years after the invasion,the English School was a bi-communal institution which showed sensitivity both to Turkish and Greek religious beliefs,while keeping nationalism well off the premises. The board and management team have tried to bring back the old ethos,but have encountered the opposition of parents every step of the way.
Currently,there is a stand-off over the board’s decision to make Bayram a school holiday,as it had been before 1974. The parents refuse to accept this,arguing that the school has no business observing a Muslim religious day that is not a holiday in the Cyprus Republic. Worse still,nationalist politicians are now meddling in the affairs of the school,with the House Finance Committee refusing to release the funds for the school that are included in the 2010 budget. Press reports suggest that the committee chairman had threatened not to approve the funds unless the school board rescinded its decision for a Bayram holiday.
All these problems stem from the fact that the English School is a state-owned institution and,as such,everyone – politicians,teachers,parents,students – believes they should have a say in how it is run and what educational values it should stand for. Back in the nineties,right-wing deputies,encouraged by a nationalist education minister,talked about turning it into The Greek School,because they were offended by its name. Now,the demand is for a bi-communal school but one that cultivates Greek identity and national pride.
It is all rather schizophrenic,but inevitable given that control of the school rests with the government of the day which appoints the members of the board. The Christofias government through the appointment of several AKEL apparatchiks has exercised more political control than previous governments,thus antagonising parents and sparking more disputes. All these problems would have been avoided if the school had autonomy and independence. An independent board,with no links to the government or the parties,would have upheld the traditional values of the school and denied parents,teachers or politicians the right to dictate,by intimidation and bullying,its ethos,identity and educational values. Parents,who did not approve of these,could choose another school for their children instead of demanding they are changed to suit them.
Only then would the English School be able to operate,as it did in the first 70 years of its existence,as an independent,bi-communal institution at which Greek and Turkish Cypriot children learnt tolerance and respect for each other. But when the society in which the school operates does not embrace these values,even the complete independence of the school would not ensure the success of the bi-communal,educational experiment.
Published on June 27,2010 ,Sunday Mail
@ Andreas
“such a behaviour should not be accepted.”–It seems it is not accepted,at least not this time round.
Those who followed last year’s rezilikia,will notice a huge difference in the way the media and accordingly public opinion reacted in the 2 instances. Last year a mass hysteria was created around the school,over among other things,false accusations that the school was prohibiting students from wearing crosses. This resulted in απειρου καλλους scenes,like the Archbishop Chrisostomos,voicing his angry condemnation on radio,with the Boards president Mr. Vasiliou struggling in vain to set the record straight. Even worst in 2006,when a beating of a turkish cypriot student took place in the school ,organised through an extreme nationalist football fan website,Aristos Michailides,chief editor of Phileleftheros newspaper wrote an article dedicated to a person arrested,expressing sympathy to this “good boy” “who probably thought,like all 18 year olds,that the world is theirs and they can overturn it with their mates”. On a similar tone,i.e. not clear condemnation of the attack,were a no of media articles at the time.
This time round Phileleftheros was the only national paper,which to my knowledge,wrote nothing about the events. All the media articles,with the exception of a small comment in Simerini,reported a more or less accurate picture of the events,at the same time exposing Mr. Papadopoulos act.
Contrary to forecasts by reliable sources,that the issue would be buried ,due to the political and economic weight of the politician.
@Ahmet
The greek cypriot community,or at least that part adopting the dominant ideology,lived far too long under the fallacy that the kotsiani (land registry title) of the Cyprus Republic belongs to them and only. Fortunately the Republic was created in 1960,and not 1860,when such fantasies could materialize through not so nice ways.
The slogan “turks out of cyprus”within the state schools and the simultaneous absence of any reference to turkish Cypriots,–as if they did not exist (or should not exist?),is the reason why our child left the state school for a private one. Although the English school has always been the choice of the economic elite and later,due to integral changes of the state schools,the political elite,it has also been a haven for the “other communities”,as well as progressive/ non nationalist cypriots.
About the 15th of November,I don’t believe that the turkish cypriot community of the school is unanimous. I personally witnessed the expressed differences between nationalist turkish cypriots and progressive ones,which strongly resembled the ideological differences between greek cypriots. The school has decided to have a teachers training on that day,which means that the students do not go to school. I do not have a strong opinion on the matter but it seems other people do. If the school changes its decision,then it will have to deal with the demonstrations on that day,were the slogan “turks out of Cyprus” predominates and were extreme nationalists / “national front” equivalents,make their appearance in a fanatical racist way. Maybe this will give the opportunity to the school community to educate itself and learn to recognize the line (thin line to some thick,to others) between fighting for ones rights and racism. And test the strength of its new anti bullying policy and its penalties.
ENGLISH SCHOOL:POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD
It is clear to me that the writer of your editorial (The English School:fighting for its soul,June 27) fails to appreciate and respect the right of the majority of the school’s students and parents to decide if the school has a Greek Cypriot character or not.
As far as I understand the vast majority of students of the English school come from a Greek Cypriot/Christian Orthodox background and they have every right to celebrate Greek national holidays,sing the Greek national anthem and have icons in the classroom. Perhaps the writer should be informed that the Greek national anthem is not only the national anthem of Greece but of Cyprus as well and it has been since 1960! He also seems to ignore the fact that the Greek national holidays such as March 25 are again Cyprus bank holidays and they have been since 1960!
Every nation has the right to be proud of their roots,heritage,religion …and nation. Most schools in the Western world,whether public or private,celebrate their country’s national or religious holidays. There is nothing wrong with that especially in a country such as Cyprus where a lot of people are religious and a certain national pride is needed considering the troubled history of this island and the dangers it’s still facing.
It might be that the leader writer is indifferent to the Greek Orthodox religion or Greek holidays perhaps because he or she is not local,or maybe he just doesn’t care much about religion or national identity. Well,it appears that most students of the English School and their parents do care and this should be enough. Do we not live in a democracy after all? At the end of the day,the English School receives most of its funding from student’s fees. The parents who pay good money to send their children to the English school deserve to have a say in the way the school is run. The writer says that parents can take their children to a state school if they want their children to have a Greek education. I am afraid if parents took your advice that this would really be the end of the English school for obvious reasons.
The problems and disputes in English school were not caused by the Greek Cypriot students/parents’ nationalism or xenophobia but from the irrational intention to ban anything Greek from the school so the Turkish minority would not be offended. Why would the Turkish minority be offended by icons in classrooms or the Greek national anthem? Did the Turkish Cypriot students even complain? If I send my children to a school in England should I be offended if my children are exposed to the English national anthem or the Anglican church? It is one thing to respect and accept people irrespective of their religion,race or colour,and it is a completely different thing to suppress the identity of a nation in order to avoid offending an ethnic minority. This is political correctness going crazy! We have seen this in the UK in several towns where certain people suggest not celebrating Christmas or decorating the town as this might offend different faiths. If anything,such policies actually create more xenophobia or nationalism. People get to the point where they think:‘Who are these people who come to my country to tell me to not celebrate Christmas or be ashamed of my national identity?’
And although the writer wants a school that doesn’t celebrate Christian holidays he wants the school to celebrate Bayram which is not even a state holiday! Maybe the writer should also consider the practical consequences of what he is suggesting as clearly most parents would be at work (as it is not a bank holiday) and not be able to be at home when their children have a day off. Do English schools or other schools in Europe celebrate Bayram although they have a bigger Muslim minority than English school does?
And as to the government being involved in the affairs of English school that is to be expected given that English school is state-owned and is funded by the government. As to the claim that things were different before 1974 I doubt that the writer was around at the time as he would have known that the vast majority of students were again Greek Cypriot and yes there were icons in the classroom and children did sing the national anthem!
The author claims that English school is fighting for its soul. Yes,indeed it is. As it seems that political correctness paranoia has now arrived in Cyprus and in our schools!
Name and address supplied
Extracts from iKypros 05/07/2010
Αναφορικά με την αποδέσμευση κρατικής χορηγίας προς την Αγγλική Σχολή Λευκωσίας,ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος είπε ότι ΑΚΕΛ και ΕΔΕΚ έχουν τοποθετηθεί υπέρ της αποδέσμευσης,ΔΗΚΟ και Ευρωπαϊκό Κόμμα έχουν τοποθετηθεί εναντίον,ενώ ο ΔΗΣΥ θα τοποθετηθεί εντός της ημέρας.
Ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος είπε ότι θέση του ΔΗΚΟ για το θέμα της Αγγλικής Σχολής είναι ότι ”το διαχειριστικό συμβούλιο της Σχολής έχει αποτύχει να αξιοποιήσει σωστά τα κονδύλια που δίνονται στην σχολή από τα υστερήματα του Κύπριου φορολογούμενου,αφού παρατηρούνται αδικαιολόγητες σπατάλες,όπως αχρείαστα ταξίδια καθηγητών στο εξωτερικό,αχρείαστα και αμφιβόλου ποιότητας και σκοπιμότητας σεμινάρια καθηγητών,κακή αναβάθμιση των κτιριακών εγκαταστάσεων της σχολής και μη ικανοποιητική αξιοποίηση του σχολικού χρόνου”.
Ανέφερε,επίσης,ότι ”το διαχειριστικό συμβούλιο της Σχολής δεν λαμβάνει επαρκώς υπόψη τις απόψεις των εκλελεγμένων των αντιπροσώπων του Συνδέσμου Γονέων και έχει με αυτό τον τρόπο αποτύχει στο να διαμορφώσει το απαραίτητο κλίμα ομαλής λειτουργίας του σχολείου”,προσθέτοντας ότι ”τελευταίο παράδειγμα αυτής της κακής διαχείρισης ήταν η μονομερής απόφαση του Συμβουλίου να ανακηρύξει την επέτειο ανακήρυξης του ψευδοκράτους ως επίσημη αργία της σχολής”.
Μια πράξη,συνέχισε,”που εύλογα έχει προκαλέσει τα συναισθήματα όλων των πολιτών της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας”.
Ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος είπε ότι ”το ΔΗΚΟ τονίζει πως αν αυτά τα κονδύλια παραμείνουν δεσμευμένα,σε καμία περίπτωση δεν πρόκειται να αποδεχτούμε να μετακυλήσει το κόστος της αποτυχίας του διαχειριστικού συμβουλίου πάνω στους γονείς”,προσθέτοντας ότι ”αν γίνει κάτι τέτοιο τότε θα επανεξετάσουμε ως ΔΗΚΟ την έγκριση όλων των χορηγιών και όλων των κονδυλίων της αγγλικής σχολής που δίνει το κράτος για το επόμενο έτος”.
Ο κ. Ευαγόρου είπε ότι το ΑΚΕΛ συμφωνεί με την αποδέσμευση των κονδυλίων είτε αφορούσαν το Υπουργείο Εσωτερικών είτε τον ΚΟΤ,καθώς και με την αποδέσμευση της χορηγίας για την Αγγλική Σχολή,ενώ εκφράζει την λύπη του,όπως είπε,”γιατί άλλο αν υπάρχουν και γιατί όχι να εξετάσουμε τις όποιες αδυναμίες πιθανό να υπάρχουν στον έλεγχο και στη διαχείριση,και άλλο να πνίγεις τη λειτουργία της Αγγλικής Σχολής που στο τέλος της ημέρας θα οδηγήσουν την Αγγλική Σχολή στο κλείσιμο”.
Ανέφερε ότι ”εκείνοι οι οποίοι διαφωνούν,διαφωνούν ουσιαστικά με την ύπαρξη και συμμετοχή Τ/κ μαθητών στην Αγγλική Σχολή”,προσθέτοντας ότι δεν μπορεί να το εξηγήσει διαφορετικά.
Εκείνοι,συνέχισε,”που αντιδρούν με το θρησκευτικό δικαίωμα που κατοχυρώνεται και από το Σύνταγμα να γιορτάζουν την ημέρα του Μπαϊραμιού όπως εμείς γιορτάζουμε την ημέρα του Πάσχα,να θεωρείται ως βασικό επιχείρημα για να μην απελευθερωθούν τα κονδύλια της Αγγλικής Σχολής”.
Ο κ. Ευαγόρου είπε ότι η Αγγλική Σχολή είχε υποπέσει σε ένα σφάλμα γιατί είχε τοποθετήσει μια από τις αργίες κοντά στην ημερομηνία ανακήρυξης του ψευδοκράτους και έγιναν παραστάσεις από τον ΓΓ του ΑΚΕΛ προς την διεύθυνση της σχολής και απεσύρθη γραπτώς αυτή η πρόθεση του καθορισμού αργίας κοντά στην ημέρα ανακήρυξης του ψευδοκράτους”,προσθέτοντας ότι ”αυτό που παραμένει είναι ο γιορτασμός του Μπαϊραμιού και άσχετα τι ελέχθη δημόσια από άλλα κόμματα,είναι αυτό που τους ενοχλεί δυστυχώς”.
Οσον αφορά το κονδύλι για την Αγγλική Σχολή,ο κ. Σιζόπουλος,αφού είπε ότι η ΕΔΕΚ έχει συναινέσει,είπε ότι ”είναι η τελευταία χρονιά που θα συναινέσουμε αν στο μέλλον δεν κατατίθεται στη Βουλή ο τρόπος διάθεσης αυτών των χρημάτων και κυρίως ποιες ανάγκες ικανοποιεί η εισφορά της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας προς την Αγγλική Σχολή”.
It is worth pointing out that greek cypriots are not unanimous in the way they protest on the 15th November either. From my own experience as a student in Limassol in the late 90s,having had a fairly sheltered middle of the road political upringing the first protest I attended as a Lykeio student was an eye opener. The protest was very much a confrontation between right wing and left wing students,very clearly separated by the use of greek and cypriot flags correspondingly,and anti-turk as opposed to anti-Turkey slogans. While the district comittee of students (ESEM) is supposed to agree on the way the protest takes place,in practice a certain section of NEDISY was burning turkish flags and hijacking the district administration building putting a giant greek flag hanging from the balcony,a certain section of EDON was waving red flags and che guevara t-shirts,some outraged guy with a microphone was protesting that the red flag “is neither that of my nation,nor that of my state”,another about the “shame of burning flags in protests”while a rock band was playing “Liomeno pagoto”and small scale verbal confrontations/fights were taking place around the square.
A lot of things have changed since but if I was a parent I would trust my 15-18 year old kids not to get brainwashed by attending this protest,and instead learn first hand the basic ideological differences of the main political parties,hoping they would be sensible enough to stay out of fights.
ntrepomai pou kapoios toso LIGOS opws ton Nikola Papadopoullo einai apofoitos tou English school…Dierwtwmai pwn katafere na perasei..
The controversy surrounding The English School is based on a fundamental misunderstanding concerning its soul. I’m afraid it’s a myth to suggest that the ES was ever a liberal,forward –thinking school. In fact one of its greatest attributes as far as parents are concerned is the aura of reactionary conservatism. To be fair,the only other major attraction factor is that you can get two A Levels without the extra lessons. I want to wish to my old school all the best and I sincerely hope that it strives to become genuinely tolerant of diversity. I find it unacceptable and at the same time expected that the parents are trying to resist this change.
A few more truths
As far as the Bayram is concerned there were a lot of banks in Cyprus that had a day off even after 74.-(Grindlays Bank for sure)
There were no icons in classrooms at the ES before Clairi Aggelides became minister of Education
Nobody really goes to school on 15th November. They go to school for an hour or so and even if some students want to stay and have classes most walk out of school and either go protest or for a coffee.
It’s weird how people have become less and less tolerant.
@maria emmanuel:
Cyprus belongs to its taxpayers…Simple and clear
@Χριστόφορος:
Not really…
@Χριστόφορος:
Paying taxes is one of the many responsibilities that you have as a citizen of this country.Another responsibility is to treat everyone fairly and not to discriminate but respect other’s rights.Cyprus ,as part of the EU has responsibilities even towards irregular migrants that enter the country.It has signed international conventions that respect everyone’s rights.Do you really think that the TC’s as co-founders of the ROC should have less rights than you?The occupation will end at some point,and everybody has to realize that the TC are not an ethnic minority but a community with equal rights to the GC community.I thought this was clear,but reading that letter to the editor of the cyprus mail makes me cringe.
@Anna:
Everybody should be equal under the law. I do not accept my hard earned money to be taxed and my taxes to be wasted supporting private schools or for that matter any private business.
I do not believe in community rights but in human rights and concerning the Turkish Cypriots I believe that they should have the same rights and responsibilities as the Greeks,Armenians,etc,as individuals.
Now concerning the TC as group,of course there are an ethnic minority,its simple arithmetic 18% <82%,you don't need to be rocket scientist to understand it,but political stupidity and extremism have driven us to where we are today .
@Χριστόφορος:
Political stupidity is analysing any situation with the simple arithmetic you apply. Arithmetic may get you a rocket to the moon but it will not resolve any of the problems we face in Cyprus.
The English School has belonged to the state from the beginning,it is not a private school but one that charges fees hence the parliamentary checks. It is also the only state-owned school that had always been multi-ethnic since our 1960 constitution called for separate education systems for the two communities that’s why it should apply a separate set of rules for language and religion matters. Inevitably it has become a kind of litmus test for a united Cyprus of the future.
You may not believe in communal rights or communities but that brings you at odds with the Rpublic of Cyprus itself. These COMMUNITIES are part of the constitution of the country to which you pay your taxes and are recognised as such by the UN and the EU.
Cyprus does not belong to its taxpayers. Sorry,that’s how it is. Think:Cypriot children don’t pay tax while Russian money-launderers do! Turkish-cypriots are citizens,Cyprus does belong to them too but they do not pay tax. Also it is not up to you where your hard-earned money goes but up to the government and parliament. Finally:majority in parliament says “pay the English School”,you do. Simple arithmetic
It is a disgrace that some people here talk about the rights of the TC community as if there has never been an invasion,as if the TC community has not played a key role in assisting Turkey to attack,ethnically cleanse and occupy 37% of our country. The TC community is STILL doing its best to assist Turkey in continuing to occupy our land and violate our fundamental human rights.
They are coming to the negotiating table with demands that are outrageous. TCs are 18% of the population and own 12% of land in Cyprus –yet they expect to have 30% of Cyprus (and 55% of coast) fully to themselves,not giving a shit about our rights,effectively stealing our land.
Would there still be a Cyprus problem today if TCs accepted that they will have EITHER (a) 30% of land in a TRUE federation,where all GCs got their land back,had full human rights,as was agreed in the 70s OR (b) 18% in a “pure”TC state in an Annan-type effective loose con-federation??? I say No. We do not have a solution because they want to have the “spoils of war”at the expense of their compatriots.
Some here also talk about TCs being equal co-founders of the RoC. Wake up and smell the coffee!! Apparently,noone has told you about the 1963 amendments to the RoC constitution and the fact that since then the UN,the EU and the entire world recognises the RoC as being legally controlled by 82% of its legal population –which means that the 18% TCs were NEVER equal co-founders! (Of course,our genious of a president appears to be working hard to achieve de-recognition of this status,given that through his astonishingly clever strategy he has managed to include for the first time in UN resolutions that TCs are equal partners in the RoC!!)
If a solution is found or if TCs decide to return to legality by accepting the 1960 RoC constitution (instead of working against it and supporting the occupation through paying taxes to “TRNC”,serving in the occupation army etc),then I will be the first to support their rights. While they are actively performing CRIMES against the RoC,they should be entitled to NOTHING –and certainly no GC taxpayer cash should be going to a school that has tried to establish the “TRNC”day as a holiday to be celebrated (in fact,those responsible for this should have been sent to court for treason).
@ Sceptic
20th Century 101:
Blaming a community/ethnic group as a whole for problems in a region is BAD.
To take your pseudo-legal argument to its funny conclusion:“Returning to legality”does not make any crime go away,you will still have to arrest 18% of the population and give them a fair trial. Unless of course a magnanimous GC president pardons their crimes,kinda like BigMak did to the juntists in ’74…
From Cyprus Mail
THE writer of the Letter to the Editor (English School:political correctness gone mad,July 4 2010) appears to be rather misguided about the history of the English School and contemporary educational policies and practices at the school and in Europe. In my humble view the writer ought to seek clarifications from the school management on matters of fact before making false accusations in the press that do nothing but damage the school’s reputation and ethos.
Contemporary educational initiatives and practice in Europe and beyond are being promoted by international organisations like UNESCO,the Council of Europe and the IBE. Educational experts around the globe including the university professors in Cyprus,Greece,the UK and the rest of Europe are promoting educational initiatives such as intercultural education,human rights education,peace education and education for democratic citizenship.
One common theme in all the contemporary educational discourse is that in a globalised world and in societies that are becoming increasingly more multicultural,it is no longer appropriate for educational establishments to strive to produce nationalistic citizens. One fundamental objective of Education is that it should be targeted towards creating global citizens who respect the human rights of all and who are able to live together peacefully. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so rightfully and clearly puts it “Education should be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding,tolerance and friendship among all nations,racial or religious groups,and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.” (Article 26).
This of course does not mean that students should not feel proud of their own culture and heritage,far from it,but it is not the role of education to instil in them an unquestioning nationalistic sentiment for various reasons. First and foremost,countries are morally ambiguous entities:they are what they are by virtue of their histories,and it is hard to think of a national history for any country that has been free from the blights of war-mongering,injustice and subjugation. It therefore creates tensions in a school where the students do not belong to the dominant culture,or do not support such sentiment. In a recent multicultural event at the English School it was found that there are students at the school who identify with 25 other national/cultural identities. Secondly,promoting one national identity above others results in exclusion since students who do not identify or belong to the dominant group are required to attend an alternative assembly/function. Sound educational policy rests on the principle of inclusion,which is also a key principle of the School’s Mission Statement. Any practice which contravenes this principle ideally ought to be minimised. Finally,attempting to create nationalists may contravene the key skills that schools should want to instil in their students such as the skills of critical thinking and independent enquiry. It is these skills that will help students get into the best universities in the UK and elsewhere. The competition is getting tougher by the year –universities can afford to be selective –they do not choose students solely on the basis of their academic record. They prefer students who can demonstrate that they are active and informed citizens of the local and global community in which they live. Citizens who are critical thinkers and independent enquirers but who are also “intercultural” citizens stand a better chance than others.
Decision-making at the English School is made by a senior management team headed by a highly regarded and competent head teacher with a vast and varied experience. The recent fiasco at the school was caused by a small number of nationalistic parents who allegedly were willing to go as far as to lobby an MP (of seemingly similar persuasion ) to blackmail the head teacher,by freezing the €350,000 state subsidy that the school receives annually from the House Finance Committee. What did these parents want in return? They wanted the management of the school to concede to their demand that the Bayram holiday be taken out of the school calendar,a request that the head teacher rightfully refused to concede to on educational grounds. Although lobbying an MP is indeed a democratic right,what was bizarre about this situation was that the purpose of the lobbying was to persuade the MP to use undemocratic and unethical means to exert pressure on a school management team to make a decision that goes against the educational principle of inclusion,that is also against the constitution of Cyprus and the English School,and that is also contrary to a recommendation made by the anti-discrimination body of Cyprus. (The Ombudsman’s Office,July 2006). It also ignores the fact that prior to 1976 the Bayram Holiday was an official school holiday for many years.
Before ending I would like to correct some factual errors in the letter addressed to the editor last week.
The vast majority of state schools in the UK do not compel their students to sing the British national anthem and do not display religious symbols in classes. Although normally only Christian holidays are celebrated,this would usually be in schools where there is no large ethnic minority group prevalent. Today,the Turkish Cypriot students at the English School account for 13 per cent of the student population and the school has a special history and constitution that enshrine that religious holidays are granted;these holidays include the Bayram holidays. Let us not forget the school was set up as an Inter-communal School in 1900.
There were no icons in the English School for most of its 110 year history other than for a very short period of time (1980-1993).
The School is not “opposed to anything that is Greek” and neither has it “banned anything Greek”. It is definitely not attempting to “suppress the identity of the Greek-Cypriot students”. Indeed there are a number of popular and successful extra-curricular activities at the school which promote the Greek culture and language. These include the Greek Creative Writing Club;the Greek Poetry and Literature Club and the Greek Drama Club. In addition both Modern Greek and Classical Greek are subjects offered within the Curriculum and the standard attained is exceptionally high.
The Greek national anthem is sung at the school during the commemorations of the March 25 and April 1.
It is not “political correctness gone mad” that drives the decision-making of the management of the school – it is sound educational principles and practice which are supported by leading educational establishments in Cyprus,Europe and beyond.
In closing I would like to congratulate the Sunday Mail for their editorial (“English School fights for its Soul”,June 27,2010) which presented a much more balanced and accurate account of the recent events and controversies at the English School.
@Sceptic:
Reading your comment,reminded me of another statement by the headmistress at that first meeting she had with the parents. She said:“I cannot solve the Cyprus problem. A lot of important and capable people have tried and failed,including secretary generals presidents and prime ministers,.. how can I be expected to achieve it”. The ES is not the place to solve the Cyprus problem. It is merely a school,full stop. Parents and teachers,who care for the welfare of these 1000+ students of the school and its educational integrity,have been worried all along,that external as well as internal forces seem to be working in order to turn it into a battleground. Some see this as an opportunity for the Greek Cypriots to at last win the Turks and kick them out. Since they cannot kick them out of Cyprus,they will at least kick them out of the school. This was also the hidden agenda of some patriot parents who were elected to the ESPA this year.
I cannot resist commenting on your 1st paragraph:
“It is a disgrace that some people here talk about the rights of the TC community as if there has never been an invasion,as if the TC community has not played a key role in assisting Turkey to attack,ethnically cleanse and occupy 37% of our country.”
What do you imply. That the human rights of TC should not be protected. That it is therefore legible for masked men to terrorize them? Let me tell you this. It is my firm belief after getting a glimpse of the situation at the school,that if Turkish Cypriot victimization takes place,the losers are also the Greek Cypriot students,including the victimizers.. .. sometimes more so than the victim. This is the point the patriot parents miss,when they,on the one had send their children to ES which is by law a bicommunal school,and on the other hand they launce a crusade to Hellenize the school. If they are so upset about the presence of TC students and their human and religious rights,they would definitely do a better service to their children not to send them there (but then the attraction of the status of the school is too strong to resist,even for the patriot parents.). You know there have been students who went to school on Bayram holiday last year in protest. To tell you the truth I personally feel sorry for these kids. Like the bullied kids,the bullies also need help.
But I surely don’t feel sorry for the big bully. Who still hasn’t come out to say his version of the events that took place in parliament that day,repeating monotonously “I refrain from commenting on rumors”. I hope he will have to comment on the fact of his blackmailing,to the European Commissioner of Human Rights.
Since I am in favor of the state withdrawing to bare mimimum functions in order to let the citizens be …..here is my thought. I support all schools be run independently,the state will not own any schools. Each student should receive a voucher of the same amount regardless of ethnic background,socioeconomic status etc. Each family can choose the schools they want their kids to attend. There will be no ministry of Education to promote any ideology or any religion. There will be an accrediting agency and an examination board both established by law but independent kind like the Engineering boards. This way we will have multiple ideas and multiple process and not everybody will receive a prefixed set of educational material and ideas. The main advantage in Cyprus is that the state will not be a participant in “ethnic”educational programs. The effort will be citizen driven.
@Kyproleon:
Thanks Kyproleon for raising the issue. Finland and Sweden have a system along the lines you are describing with seemingly successful outcome. Every child is eligible for a fixed amount of money that the parents can use in state,private or nonprofit educational establishments.
This debate has dominated the recent elections in Britain,being surpassed only by the discussions on economy. Apparently the conservatives are now implementing their programme of complete reformation of the educational system along the lines you are describing. There is a lot of debate going on in the British newspapers,which I am afraid I didn’t have time to follow. I feel we should not hastily dismiss the issue as conservative privatization. Sometimes bold moves of less state can be quite near progressive thinking and theory. I for instance make parallels with the privatization of state owned council housing in n England. I once attended an architectural “winter School”in Edinbrough under the tutoring of the well known anarchist architectural theorist Colin Ward. I remember coming across his work as a student in English School were we had a textbook of his,criticizing among others the institution of royal family. The workshop was a critique of the existence of state owned housing,the beurocracy it created,the lack of control over one’s environment and the huge cost of maintaining them as they were constantly vandalized or neglected by the inhabitants. The conclusion of the workshop was that it would be far better if they were handed over to the people living in them. A few years afterwards Thatcher did exactly this,resulting in the immediate upgrading of the inner city ghettoes. As years went by I discovered that the issue is rather more complicated,but this is not the time to dwell further.
As you know in Cyprus we have a very long way to go…. The unions opposed and achieved the removal from the proposed educational reform,the gradual independence of state school,something that is being practiced in western Europe for many decades. For every child that attends private school,a saving of up to 6,000 Euros is made on taxpayers money yet they are treated by the state as second degree citizens. For instance the free bus service that was recently arranged (mainly for energy saving reasons) is not available for students attending private schools.
@maria emmanuel:I still don’t know whether I took the right decision not to send my son to the ES.He attends Gymnasium which is quite multicultural,given that in a class of 22 there’s children with parents from South America,Russia,2 from Greece,Philippines,France and Iraq.
I always worried about it being too ethnocentric as an education system.On the other hand I thought that being a state school,now that we’re Europe it clearly has to follow some guidelines,there’s all these exchange programmes…Also I thought I could challenge things I didn’t like.I was always of the opinion that you can shout louder and have more of a voice in an institution that’s not private.We had a terrible Headmaster in the first year.That kind of deflated me,am not sure I have the will to fight these inflexible people anymore.At the same time I realized that the silly headmaster did not have any impact on my son’s ability to see things for what they really are.The teachers are great and there’s none of those ethnocentric giortes that took place in the elementary school,at least I haven’t heard of any.So far I can say I’m pleased with everything.
I guess that what i’m trying to say is that children will invariably take more from their home environment and less from school attitudes.At the time when I went to the ES although we had students from other ethnic backgrounds it’s fair to say that nobody really interacted that much.So I am not sure of the idea of the ES as a multicultural etc school.Was it?I also attended a private high school in London and comparing the two I would just like to say that the ES falls short,not academically (pros theou!)but on overall attitude etc.But at the same time I do feel upset when I see all this PA and some alumni inciting nationalistic behaviour at the school.The only nationalistic element back then was Father Paul arguing with Hellicar not to tell us about his religion,and with others about the hymns .And they really got it wrong with the 15th November.Basically even state schools miss that day- the students walk out and supposedly go to protest.Nobody tells them to stay,they let them go.It’s kind of hypocritical to suggest to ES students to go to school on that day.Can you imagine if there’s an incident on that day amongst TC and GC students?Can’t they see that things will get worse for it?
And finally,maybe we should have citizenship classes like in the UK.There’s a part of these lessons that are about breaking down sterotypes,conflict resolution,inclusion,migrant issues etc.Check out british red cross,Positive Images toolkit.They outline lesson plans and they’re brilliant.There will be free training available in Cyprus for teachers.The activities might help the situation at the ES.
@Anna:
It sounds as if your son’s classroom is more multicultural than my daughter’s. The only (big) difference is that in the gymnasium there aren’t any turkish cypriots. Although I believe that this will inevitably change,as the “border”becomes more diffuse. It will be interesting to see how the state schools will cater for this,especially as according to the constitution each community separately determines its own educational &religious matters,an arrangement also included in Anan plan. English school on the other hand is not under the Greek Community Assembly,but is linked directly to central government by separate legislation. This fact is conveniently ignored by the lawyers and doctors of the extreme centre,who teamed up against the full implementation of human right in the school).
A young student told me the other day,that in a discussion they had in the classroom,she expressed her opinion that ES is a racist school,as it has no black students unlike other schools she knows. What she did was to raise,in a slightly naïve way,the under representation of the immigrant / new communities in the school,which contrasted strongly with Highgate school which she was previously attending. This has nothing to do with the fees of the school as they are more or less the same – challenging another myth propagated by the nationalists that ES,charges the highest fees in spite of the funding it receives from the state…….
@ Maria:
You wrote that for every child that attends a private school the state saves 6,000 euros. Do you (or anyone else for that matter) have the numbers to support such a claim?
@Giorgos:
I was given the figure by an educationist. There was also reporting in a newspaper recently,about the total figure of the state expenditure. I will get back to you
HARMONY and calm are unlikely to return to The English School in the new school year,as the two bickering sides continue to exchange accusations in public. The fact that politicians have also entered the fray does not bode well for the future of the school which is being turned into a battleground for opposing educational and political values.
At the weekend,Antenna TV carried a report about a letter,sent by a small group of parents,complaining that the standards of The English School had dropped. So much so,they alleged that students had to have extra lessons in the afternoons to cover the exam curriculum. The letter was signed by just six parents,who claimed,nevertheless,that they represented 80 per cent of parents with children at the school. There are 1,200 students at the school.
The bickering is turning nastier with the parents who want The English School to embrace Hellenic ideals and ignore the presence of Turkish Cypriots,13 per cent of the student population,resorting to objectionable methods to achieve this end. The claim that educational standards had dropped and that students needed afternoon tuition to keep up,was clearly aimed at harming the standing of the school – an indirect form intimidation.
Could anyone seriously claim that educational standards fell – if this were true –because of bi-communal values and the board’s decision to make Bayram a school holiday? Could the demand for afternoon tuition not have been caused by increased competition for university places and the need for top marks?
The claim of falling standards was not the only misinformation resorted to. The parents also accused the board of financial mismanagement,an argument also cited by the chairman of the House Finance Committee,to justify his decision to block the approval of the €320,000 state subsidy given to the school. It is claimed that the taxpayer’s money was being wasted on teachers travelling abroad to attend rapprochement seminars. The chairman of the board said that this had last happened three years ago. But neither the DIKO chairman of the finance committee nor the parents have offered any other evidence to back their allegations of financial mismanagement.
On Monday an EDEK deputy also contributed to the misinformation campaign by claiming the board “threatened the headmistress in an effort to impose its own partisan beliefs.” He offered no evidence to back these claims which were categorically denied by the board chairman.
All this lends support to the view that the parents and the nationalistic deputies backing them are determined to force the school board into submission. It is doubtful the public attacks on the school would stop or the state funds released by the Finance Committee,if the board does not rescind its decision to observe Bayram with a school holiday. What shame they do not realise how much harm they are causing the school with this petty-minded behaviour.
CYPRUS MAIL article
23rd July 2010
Για την Αγγλική Σχολή
Τις απόψεις της καταθέτει η Δώρα Αριστείδου,μητέρα μαθήτριας της σχολής.
Πρώτα μια ομάδα γονιών μάς είπαν ότι δεν συμφωνούν να δοθεί το Μπαϊράμι σαν αργία. Το γιατί δεν μας το εξήγησαν. Δεν έχω ακούσει κανένα επιχείρημα. Ούτε μας εξήγησαν γιατί να έχουν λόγο αυτοί οι γονείς στις σχολικές αργίες. Εγώ το θεωρώ απόλυτα φυσιολογικό με τόσο ποσοστό μουσουλμάνων να δοθεί το Μπαϊράμι σαν σχολική αργία. Είναι και μια έκφραση σεβασμού στη διαφορετικότητα και στα μέλη της άλλης κοινότητας. Όταν η Διεύθυνση του σχολείου δεν έκανε αποδεκτό αυτό το αίτημα,πήγαν στους βουλευτές και πάγωσαν το κονδύλι των 350.00 ευρώ. Γι’ αυτό το αίτημα θα πρέπει κάθε γονιός να πληρώσει 350 ευρώ σε αύξηση των διδάκτρων. Εμένα δεν μου φαίνετε λογικό. Πώς συνδέεται το Μπαϊράμι με τη χορηγία;Για κάποιους μια αύξηση διδάκτρων δεν είναι πρόβλημα,για τους περισσότερους όμως είναι.
Μετά μας είπαν ότι το αίτημα είναι η 15η του Νιόβρη να μη χρησιμοποιηθεί για επιμόρφωση προσωπικού χωρίς να γίνουν μαθήματα αλλά να είναι μια κανονική εργάσιμη μέρα. Μπορεί όμως να είναι μια κανονική εργάσιμη μέρα;Πριν δυο χρόνια οι μαθητές έλεγαν ότι αυτή τη μέρα έγινε παράταξη μαθητών της ΕΦΕΝ με μαύρες φανέλες που έγραφαν ΚΑΛΟΣ ΤΟΥΡΚΟΣ Ο ΝΕΚΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΡΚΟΣ και τρομοκρατούσαν συμμαθητές τους. Δεν άκουσαν αυτοί οι γονείς γι’ αυτά τα απαράδεκτα;Η μήπως τα εγκρίνουν;Ποιος ο ρόλος και οι ευθύνες ενός σχολείου;Και πώς παρέχει προστασία στον κάθε μαθητή;Πως θα νιώθετε ως γονείς αν ερχόταν το παιδί σας σπίτι κλαίοντας και τρομοκρατημένο;
Μετά θυμήθηκαν τις επισκέψεις καθηγητών στην Ιρλανδία που έγιναν πριν τρία χρόνια με ένα άλλο Διαχειριστικό Συμβούλιο. Τις αποκάλεσαν κακοδιαχείριση. Πώς το αξιολόγησαν σαν κακοδιαχείριση και όχι σαν επένδυση;Έτσι θα επεμβαίνουν αυτοί οι γονείς και να ελέγχουν κάθε κονδύλι του σχολείου;Αυτή είναι η δουλειά των γονιών;Τέλος,μας είπαν για τα ακαδημαϊκά επίπεδα,ότι χαμήλωσαν. Πάλι δεν μας εξήγησαν τους λόγους. Μήπως ο λόγος είναι ότι τα τελευταία εφτά χρόνια έχουμε και Τουρκοκύπριους;Αυτό θέλουν να πουν;
Διερωτώμαι όταν έκαναν τις επιλογές τους για τα παιδιά τους δεν τους εξήγησε κανένας ότι η Αγγλική Σχολή έχει ένα συγκεκριμένο χαρακτήρα,πολυπολιτισμικό,και αυτό είναι στα θετικά του και όχι στα αρνητικά της;Ως μητέρα μαθήτριας της 4ης τάξης νιώθω,με βάση αυτά που ακούω,ότι όλα αυτά είναι υπερβολές που δεν εξυπηρετούν τα συμφέροντα των γονιών και των μαθητών. Το χειρότερο είναι ατεκμηρίωτα. Όμως μπορώ να αντιληφθώ ότι κάνουν μεγάλη ζημιά τόσο στο σχολείο όσο και στους μαθητές. Καλλιεργούν αχρείαστη ένταση και φανατισμό και είναι αμφίβολες οι επιπτώσεις. Γι’ αυτό κάνω έκκληση να αφήσουν τους μαθητές και το σχολείο να επικεντρωθούν στη πολύ αξιόλογη δουλειά που επιτελείται.
Συμφωνώ ότι το Μπαϊράμι μπορεί να είναι αργία στο English School από τη στιγμή που φοιτούν και αρκετοί Τουρκοκύπριοι μαθητές εκεί. Όπως λέει πολύ ορθά η κα Αρέστη,αυτό θα ήταν και μια ένδειξη σεβασμού αυτούς αλλά και τις οικογένειες τους. Εξάλλου το θρησκευτικό στοιχείο δεν ήταν ποτέ μέρος της σύγκρουσης στην Κύπρο και σίγουρα δεν θα πρέπει να γίνει τώρα,έστω και αν οι περισσότερες εκκλησίες στα κατεχόμενα μετατράπησαν σε αποθήκες,σε σταύλους ή σε ερείπια (respecting each other’s faith goes both ways btw).
Εξακολουθώ πάντως να μην καταλαβαίνω γιατί ένα ιδιωτικό σχολείο όπως το English School “δικαιούται”ή “πρέπει”να λαμβάνει κρατική χορηγία;Δυσκολεύομαι επίσης να δεκτώ την άποψη ότι μια αύξηση στα ήδη υψηλά δίδακτρα του ES θα είναι πρόβλημα για τους περισσότερους γονείς.
@Pavlos,Maria-Emmanuel
The legal rights of TCs (at both the individual and community levels) go hand-in-hand with their respective legal obligations.
Your implicit demand that they should have only rights as RoC citizens but no obligations is outrageous. You cannot have it both ways –ie
- EITHER they are treated as a “community”and we all accept that special circumstances apply and therefore “reasonable”compromises/ solutions are found for our day-to-day interaction with them (reasonable meaning,for example,that we shall not be celebrating the “TRNC”or Bayram day at our state-funded schools)
- OR,in case they demand full rights as RoC citizens,they also start obeying the laws of the RoC,which means that they do not pay taxes,provide military service and support in a thousand different ways the illegal gang occupying 37% of the RoC land. If I supported a criminal gang that took over by force an area in say Limassol,I would go to court and face trial. After having served the sentence,I would be able to enjoy my rights as an RoC citizen. Why should it be any different for TCs?
Finally,an in any case,why should the hard-earned tax dollars of GCs be given to a private school that has tried to establish “TRNC”day as a holiday?? If the law says this,then the law should change immediately.
&@ Giorgo
Για το κόστος στο κράτος της δημόσιας εκπαίδευσης αναφέρετε σημερινή δημοσίευση στον Φιλελεύθερο:
ΑΠΟ €6 ΜΕΧΡΙ €13 χιλ. ΚΟΣΤΙΖΕΙ ΚΑΘΕ ΜΑΘΗΤΗΣ ευρώ
Το κόστος αυξάνεται σημαντικά με την είσοδο στη δευτεροβάθμια εκπαίδευση
Κάτι περισσότερο από €6.000 το χρόνο,στοιχίζει στο κράτος το κάθε παιδάκι που φοιτά σε τμήμα της Προδημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης. Η δαπάνη για τους μαθητές του Δημοτικού είναι λίγο πιο ψηλή,ενώ το κόστος αυξάνεται σημαντικά με την είσοδό τους στη Δευτεροβάθμια Εκπαίδευση,αφού κατά μέσο όρο ξεπερνά τις €9.500. Πιο «ακριβοί» είναι οι μαθητές που φοιτούν στις Τεχνικές Σχολές,ενώ ξεχωριστήκατηγορία αποτελούν τα παιδιά της Ειδικής Εκπαίδευσης.
Τα στοιχεία αυτά,προκύπτουν από τις οικονομικές στατιστικές της εκπαίδευσης για το 2008 και αφορούν τους μαθητές που φοιτούσαν στα δημόσια σχολεία. Ειδικότερα,η δαπάνη ανά μαθητή της Προδημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης ήταν €6.082,ενώ για κάθε μαθητή της Δημοτικής €6.393. Σε ό,τι αφορά στη Μέση Εκπαίδευση,κατά μέσο όρο οι ένοικοι των δημόσιων σχολείων στοιχίζουν €9.805 έκαστος. Το ποσό όμως,διαμορφώνεται ανάλογα με τον τύπο σχολείου. Όπως προκύπτει,ένας μαθητής Γυμνασίου κοστίζει €9.350 το χρόνο. Από την άλλη,πολύ λιγότερα στοιχίζουν οι μαθητές των Λυκείων από τους συμμαθητές τους που επιλέγουν την Τεχνική και Επαγγελματική Εκπαίδευση,καθώς η δαπάνη ανέρχεται στα €9.645 και €13.791 αντίστοιχα.
Σε ό,τι αφορά στα παιδιά της Ειδικής Εκπαίδευσης,λόγω των αναγκών τους και της εξειδίκευσης που απαιτείται,η δαπάνη φτάνει τις €53.000 περίπου. Στον ίδιο πίνακα,φαίνεται και το κόστος ανά φοιτητή:Σε ό,τι αφορά στον κάθε φοιτητή που σπουδάζει στην Κύπρο,το κόστος υπολογίζεται στις €23.714 εάν φοιτά σε δημόσιο πανεπιστήμιο της χώρας και στις €11.882
εάν επέλεξε μη-πανεπιστημιακή εκπαίδευση(περιλαμβάνονται οι υποτροφίες από το ΙΚΥ,η φοιτητική χορηγία,το επίδομα τέκνου που παίρνουν οι οικογένειες των φοιτητών και τα φοιτητικά δάνεια από τον Κεντρικό Φορέα Ισότιμης Κατανομής Βαρών). Κυβερνητική βοήθεια λαμβάνουν τέλος,και οι Κύπριοι φοιτητές που σπουδάζουν στο εξωτερικό:€4.683 πανεπιστημιακή και €2.098 μη πανεπιστημιακή.
Χριστίνα Κυριακίδου,Φιλελεύθεος 9 Αυγούστου 2010
@Sceptic:
“If I supported a criminal gang that took over by force an area in say Limassol,I would go to court and face trial.”
And should your children not be allowed to attend the English School?
Should any racist bullying against them be allowed or encouraged. Because this is what your comments in effect imply. I hope I am wrong. To set the record straight,I believe you have to answer the question I put to you in an earlier comment:“What do you imply. That the human rights of TC should not be protected. That it is therefore legible for masked men to terrorize them?”
Racist harassment does not take place in vacuum. It happens in the context of media and political incitement and general apathy.
Ah! and the school has not “tried to establish «TRNC» day as a holiday”. It tried to have on that day one of the 5 yearly staff training days.
By KIRK SEMPLE
Published:June 30,2009
Spurred by a broad coalition of religious,labor and immigrant groups,the City Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Tuesday to add two of the most important Muslim holy days to the public schools’ holiday calendar.
But the vote,which was nonbinding,put the Council in conflict with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg,who has the final say to designate the days off and has said he is resolutely opposed to the idea.
The mayor told reporters before the vote that not all religions could be accommodated on the holiday schedule,only those with “a very large number of kids who practice.”
“If you close the schools for every single holiday,there won’t be any school,” he said. “Educating our kids requires time in the classroom,and that’s the most important thing to us.”
The current school calendar recognizes major Christian and Jewish holy days like Christmas and Yom Kippur,but no Muslim holy days.
Mr. Bloomberg’s stance has irritated advocates of the measure,and some said he risked alienating many in New York’s fast-growing Muslim population as he seeks re-election in the fall.
Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid,a leader of the campaign to add the holidays,said that if the mayor continued to oppose the move,the results for him at the voting booth could be “catastrophic” among the city’s roughly 600,000 Muslims.
“We really have confidence in the mayor’s intelligence,” said Imam Talib,head of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem. “It’s an election year.”
The proposal to add the two holy days — Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha — has not drawn much visible public opposition. Some council members have expressed reservations about subtracting more classroom days from the school calendar,though only one,G. Oliver Koppell of the Bronx,voted against it.
After the vote,Mr. Koppell said the existing schedule of religious holidays might have to be reviewed and trimmed,lest other growing religions in New York start demanding their own days off. “Where are we going to end with this?” he asked.
The resolution’s advocates said that since about 12 percent,or more than 100,000,of the city’s public school students are Muslim,they deserved recognition. The two holidays have already been adopted by school districts including Dearborn,Mich.,and several municipalities in New Jersey.
Supporters also say that since the Ids (pronounced eeds) are floating holidays whose timing is set by the lunar calendar,they often fall on other religious holidays,on weekends or during the summer. During the next decade,for instance,at least one of the two Ids each year is expected to coincide with summer recess or an existing school holiday,according to a report by the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University.
It was unclear on Tuesday whether Mr. Bloomberg would continue to have final say on the issue,because the State Legislature still has not passed a bill to extend his control over the schools. But some officials said that even if the bill did not pass,he would be able to exert indirect control through appointments to the Board of Education.
The Council resolution also urged the Legislature to pass two pending bills that would amend state education law to require the holidays in the city’s school calendar. That could allow the move without the mayor’s approval,said Councilman Robert Jackson of Manhattan,a co-sponsor of the resolution and a Muslim.
Id al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan,the sacred month of fasting,and Id al-Adha,the Festival of Sacrifice,marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims traditionally observe these days by praying in the morning,then celebrating with family and friends,exchanging gifts and sharing a large meal.
The holy days have long posed a painful choice for Muslim students:Should they go to class in the interest of their grades and attendance record,or cut class to be with their families?
When Rebecca Chowdhury,18,was young,she said,she generally skipped school. But as she grew older and faced more academic demands,she often had to forgo the celebrations.
“It created a great divide between myself and my family,” said Ms. Chowdhury,who graduated last week from Stuyvesant High School.
The campaign to recognize the two holy days has been coordinated by La Fuente,a grass-roots organizing group,and supported by a coalition;at its core are dozens of Muslim organizations.
Some leaders said the coalition’s successes reflected the political maturation of the city’s diverse Muslim population,which has at times seen its social and political ambitions hamstrung by schisms among competing groups.
“When there are issues of common concern and broad-based impact,” Imam Talib said,“the people put aside other differences and unite around a common cause.”
Members of the coalition said the current effort stems from a decision by the state in 2006 to schedule the Regents exam on Id al-Adha,which angered Muslims and spurred state legislators to pass a bill ordering the State Department of Education to make a “bona fide effort” to schedule mandated exams on days other than religious holidays.
While there have been scattered efforts for years to put the Id holy days on school calendars,the efforts finally coalesced into a formal campaign after the passage of the state bill.
The above article is from New York Times at the following link
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/nyregion/01muslim.html
“And should your children not be allowed to attend the English School? Should any racist bullying against them be allowed or encouraged. Because this is what your comments in effect imply.”
Stop putting words in my mouth and effectively ignoring my arguments. Of course noone is allowed to bully or terrorise anyone –those who do such things should be immediately arrested and punished. My whole point was that everyone has the same rights AND obligations under the law!!
To answer your first point –yes,under the current law (which I believe should change asap),my children should be allowed to attend the RoC-taxpayer-cash-funded English School. At the same time,if the law is properly upheld,upon taking my kid to school on the first day,RoC police should arrest me and take me to court so that I can face justice for the crime of supporting,through numerous ways,a criminal gang occpupying by force a large part of Limassol.
As some people have been considering filing complaints against the media for incitement of racial hatred,here is an older (2006) yet relevant article
“THE MEDIA Complaints Commission yesterday berated the media’s role in the recent violent attack against the English School’s Turkish Cypriot pupils,though no punishments were announced.
The media – and newspaper Simerini in particular – were widely blamed for sparking the attack 15-20 Greek Cypriot pupils from surrounding state schools,after reporting that a Turkish Cypriot pupil had spat at a Greek Cypriot’s crucifix. The claim was played down by the school’s headmaster,who said the 12-year-old boy had actually spat at the ground.
Simerini had also reported that Turkish Cypriot pupils in the School were enjoying preferential behaviour at the expense of their Greek Cypriot classmates.
In an announcement,the Commission stressed “the high duty of the media and its operators to respect and promote democracy and the other humanitarian values,to respect and promote human rights and everybody’s basic freedoms and to avoid references against people that contain elements of discrimination based on nationality,colour,language,religion,ethnic or social origin.”
The announcement avoids naming specific media outlets,and kept itself to general condemnations.”
Cyprus Mail Published on December 15,2006
Dear Mr …….,
I am referring to your letter dates January 9th 2006,with which you filed a complaint to my office against the English School and I would like to inform you that the investigation concerning your allegations has been completed.
Regarding the issues raised in your letter I have attaint the approach and point of view of the Board of Management of the English School. Furthermore,all the relevant documents concerning the status and nature of the English School were brought to my attention.
From the examination of all the facts related to the case I have come to the conclusion that there is no actual legal obligation for the English school to officially declare two School days as holidays for the Muslim Bayrams. This is because the English School is,via law,of a Christian nature. In light of the above,I regret to inform you that any further involvement on my behalf is not possible.
Nevertheless,keeping in mind the multicultural character of the school,I have sent a letter,dated July 11th 2006,to the President of the Board of Management,in which I endorse my viewpoint on the matter. In short my approach in relation to the official recognition of the two Muslim Holidays is that such an action will play a significant role in the protection and promotion of the multicultural character of the school and therefore the board of Management should consider its implementation,
A copy of my letter to the President of the Board of Management is enclosed.
I remain at your disposal,
Yours Sincerely,
Eliana Nicolaou
Commissioner for Administration (Ombudsman)
Cyprus Anti – discrimination Body
14 July 2006
@Media blamed over English School attack:
Simerini has not been deterred by this MEDIA Complaints Commission decision. The following article was published in Simerini on 26/06/2010,i.e. 5 days after the masked men tried to intimidate parents at the school. The article is in greek and will be translated to english soon
ΤΟ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΩΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΗΣ ΣΧΟΛΗΣ
Η Αγγλική Σχολή είναι ένα αποικιοκρατικό κατάλοιπο. Επιβλήθηκε στη νεοσύστατη Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία. Διοικείται από Εγγλέζο διευθυντή,ενώ χρηματοδοτείται από τον Κύπριο φορολογούμενο. Το Υπουργείο Παιδείας δεν ασκεί ουσιαστικό έλεγχο. Μετά το άνοιγμα των κατοχικών οδοφραγμάτων,αρκετοί Τ/κ μαθητές φοιτούν στην Αγγλική Σχολή,αναλώμασι του Έλληνα Κύπριου φορολογούμενου.
Γι’ άλλη μια φορά,η διεύθυνση της Σχολής προκαλεί τα αισθήματα των Ελλήνων μαθητών. Το μπαϊράμι είναι θρησκευτική γιορτή των μουσουλμάνων. Ρωτάμε και προκαλούμε:Γιατί οι Έλληνες μαθητές πρέπει να έχουν αργία την ημέρα του μπαϊραμιού;Αλλ’ η χειρότερη πρόκληση είναι αλλού:Τώρα,υιοθετείται μια άλλη κουτοπόνηρη πρακτική:Η 15η Νοεμβρίου είναι η ημέρα ανακήρυξης του ψευδοκράτους.
Οι Τ/κ μαθητές της Αγγλικής Σχολής,των οποίων εμείς πληρώνουμε τα δίδακτρα,τιμούν τη μέρα ως επίσημη αργία τους! Δηλαδή,η ανακήρυξη του κατοχικού ψευδοκράτους τιμάται και από την Αγγλική Σχολή,που επιβάλλεται ως αργία και στους Έλληνες μαθητές! Ρωτάμε την Επιτροπή Παιδείας:Κοιμάται ή κάνει πως δεν καταλαβαίνει;Και με την ευκαιρία:Ποιος είναι εκείνος ο αξιοπρεπής και εύτολμος υπουργός ή βουλευτής που θα απαιτήσει όπως το καθεστώς της Αγγλικής Σχολής,ως αποικιοκρατικού κατάλοιπου συζητηθεί,επιτέλους,στη Βουλή;Είμαστε ακόμα στην εποχή της αποικιοκρατίας;
Σ.Ι.”
Without endorsing any violent action,I actually fully agree with the article in Simerini,which sets out very strong arguments. The parliament should immediately proceed to change this unacceptable situation.