Putting the record straight about the English School

Sir,
In response to articles appearing in the press during the week preceding the referendum of April 24, the Senior Management Team (SMT) of the English School would like to state the following:

During the week leading up to the referendum the school functioned normally with all pupils at school attending their lessons. Pupils were not encouraged or allowed to leave the school to attend demonstrations. The atmosphere in the school was calm, although invariably there were discussions both within the staff and student bodies concerning the referendum. The school did everything in its power to maintain a calm, dignified environment conducive to learning and the democratic process. Consequently, the headlines and articles appearing highlighting a few isolated incidents painted the wrong picture of the atmosphere within the school during this period.

EOKA posters were put-up by 10-15 extremists (not pupils of the school) who visited the school in the early hours of the morning. They threatened to beat up the security guard employed by the school and to smash all the windows of the canteen if they were not allowed to do what they wanted.
Pupils of the school did not distribute nationalistic leaflets as reported in some papers. These were left lying on the ground by the vandals who visited the school and at some point a person not connected to the school appeared and started distributing leaflets without the knowledge of the school or SMT.

The school is also concerned that the articles did not give the correct picture with respect to the Turkish Cypriot pupils in the school. The SMT would like to state that this does not represent the reality which exists in the school. The Turkish Cypriot pupils have integrated well and have been accepted as equal members of the school community by pupils and staff. The school is committed to the re-introduction of Turkish Cypriot pupils and staff and re-establishing the bi-communal nature of the school.

In conclusion the SMT feels that it acted appropriately, allowing a democratic dialogue to take place in a calm atmosphere but also allowed the school to function normally during a very difficult period. The school’s major concern is how the fanaticism stirred up amongst young people will now be combated since they will not only need to live with each other but also within an increasingly more multicultural society.

The English School, Nicosia

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.