Greek Cypriot teachers visit schools in north

GREEK Cypriot teachers, members of the bicommunal teachers’ platform, visited schools in the north on Friday.

“Together, educators can do wonders for our country,” said Maria Mourada, one of the members of the group of Greek Cypriot teachers.

The general secretary of the Turkish Cypriot teachers’ union (Ktoeos), Sener Acil, said that such school visits are organised annually, whereby Greek Cypriot teachers visit schools in the north during their Christmas break while Turkish Cypriot teachers visit schools in the Republic during their holidays in February.

Teachers have a central role in the effort to eradicate prejudice, hate, and enmity, Acil added, noting that the time had come for peace and reconciliation, as well as for the renewal of negotiation efforts for the solution of the Cyprus problem.

“Those who speak Turkish and those who speak Greek are all Cypriot, this is their identity and this is their country,” Acil said. “We want to live free in an independent Cyprus, without armies and foreign powers.”

The president of Ktoeos, Selma Eylem, also said that teachers play an important role the solution of the Cyprus problem and in establishing a culture of peace.