CYPRUS and Greece plan to work together on the reform of the educational system in both countries, the House Education Committee heard yesterday during its first-ever meeting with its Greek parliamentary counterpart.
The Greek Parliament’s Committee for Educational Affairs visited the island’s House of Representatives and the University of Cyprus (UCY) to discuss educational matters and plans to form a common policy for the reform.
Cypriot Committee Chairman Nicos Tornaritis of DISY said the visit was of great significance. Cyprus and Greece should unite powers in the education sector in order to adequately deal with the great challenges of a European environment. Educational reform is also a political hot potato, at least in Cyprus.
“The end results will be positive for Cyprus as well as Greece,” the Committee Chairman said after the meeting. “This day opens new pathways of communication between the two parliaments and between the two committees,” he added.
Tornaritis confirmed the two committees were planning to discuss controversial plans to update and modernise school history books. He referred to the two committees appointed for the project, one under the President of the Hellenic Foundation of Culture, Georgios Bambiniotis, and the other under Georgios Tsiakalos, a professor for the University of Thessalonica.
“Our view is that the two committees must connect and work together in order to produce better work,” he said.
“The Education Minister has agreed with us that we need a bigger connection between the two committees that will manage the future of our education’s content; the future of Greece and Cyprus’ analytical programs,” Tornaritis added.
The work produced between the two committees will be submitted to the Chairmen of the two parliamentary committees as well as both ministries. “The connection therefore becomes even bigger and we will need to exchange views on all subjects and levels that concern our educational system and culture.”
Education Minister Andreas Demetriou, who also attended the parliamentary meeting, said he had heard proposals on how the two countries could cooperate on educational matters.
“I in turn informed them on our policies and actions in regards to educational reform and we have agreed that the committees for updating the analytical programmes will not only be in constant contact, but will have members and inspectors from both sides so we can be coordinated,” said the minister.
The Chairman of the Greek Parliament’s Committee, Maria Kollia – Tsaroucha, expressed her committee’s consent to hold two annual meetings with their Cypriot counterparts and said she would relay the proposal to Greek Speaker of Parliament Dimitris Sioufas. “We will put it into immediate action, provided the House President Mr [Marios] Garoyian agrees,” said Tsaroucha.
The two countries’ Education Committees had earlier met with the UCY director, Stavros Zenios, who informed Greek deputies on the university’s educational programmes, as well as the close relationship UCY has with a number of Greek universities.
Speaking after the meeting, Tsaroucha said this visit was the first of its kind.
“We have seen with our own eyes that the University of Cyprus is a very good university,” said Kollia. “Greece is definitely always concerned with seeing Cyprus progress.”
Constantinos Agorastos of conservative party Nea Dimokratia was impressed with the university’s community feeling, saying UCY could more than hold its own in the European and international environment.
Agorastos said he had been keeping an eye on the Cypriot university from the day it was founded.
“This university is fast developing; its prestige rises year by year, which can be seen through the evaluations that take place,” he said.
The two Committees were so pleased with their productive meeting that they have decided to establish twice-yearly meetings from now on and called on the two countries’ Education Ministries to do the same.
