THE EDUCATION Ministry, school districts and police are confident that if they work together they will be able to contain further outbursts of teenage vandalism in the run up to school leavers’ graduations, they said yesterday..
Nicosia police chief Kypros Michaelides and Head of Secondary Education Zena Pouli said authorities had outlined a series of escalating measures ahead of this year’s Lyceum and Gymnasium graduations on May 20 and June 2, respectively.
“There will be zero tolerance,” said Pouli.
“There will be no leniency for any student found vandalising school property no matter who the student is,” she said.
Michaelides confirmed that police were also taking the matter extremely seriously.
The pair was speaking after four students broke into the Pancyprian Gymansium in Nicosia just after 1am yesterday.
The students aged between 17 and 20 tried to set fire to chairs and desks after dousing them with a flammable substance. The youths were arrested after neighbours reported a disturbance in the area located near the Archbishopric.
According to police one the 20-year-old youth tried to resist arrest and hit an officer on the arm. The policeman was taken to Nicosia general hospital where he received first aid for an injury to the palm of his right hand. This is the second attack by school leavers at a Nicosia school in 24 hours. On Wednesday morning dozens of pupils attacked the school guard and vandalised Kykkos B in Engomi.
The escalating vandal attacks on schools in the run up to secondary school leavers’ graduation was the topic of discussion at a meeting yesterday involving police, the Education Ministry, the Parents’ Association and a representative for the school districts.
Pouli said circulars had been issued to secondary schools outlining what procedures to take on the last day of school and during the graduation ceremonies. Teachers were instructed to tell students they were expected to behave with politeness and civility, and school property had to be respected.
“No action that offends the school and educational community, the Education Ministry and the country’s general education system will be tolerated,” the circular said.
Pouli said students found violating the measures would be made an example of and did not rule out expulsion for serious misdemeanours.
“If a student tries to burn down the school they will certainly [face expulsion],” she said.
“If they are arrested and cannot sit their end of year exams they will have to retake them in September to graduate,” she said.
In the case of the four boys arrested and remanded in custody for four days yesterday, Michaelides said police would try to ensure they were released in time to take their final exams.
“We will try to deal with this issue humanely. We don’t want them to have to miss their exams,” the senior officer said.
Michaelides said foot and vehicular patrols would be increased around schools during the day and night. Additionally the schools planned to employ their own private security guards, he said.
Pouli added that mopeds would not be allowed onto school grounds on the day of the graduation.
“No erratic driving will be allowed on school grounds which could injure the rider of the bike or other students in the yard,” she said.
The ministry official said the measures had proved effective in the past and that this year should be no different.
“For the past two years we’ve had no problems. Three years ago we had a lot of attacks on school but since we introduced these measures in collaboration with police we haven’t had any serious incidents,” she said.
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