Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

PUPILS from schools around Nicosia were yesterday roaming the capital’s shopping districts instead of learning in their classrooms.

The walkout was sparked by Monday’s classroom boycott in Paphos, with pupils demonstrating a decision by the Education Ministry to hand out stricter punishments for pupils playing truant. The Ministry has decided that pupils getting two continuous unexcused absences from school in the third term would be expelled, while another new ruling reduces the amount of excused and unexcused absences a pupil is allowed to have.
The new rules were approved by parliament because of the common practice of pupils not attending lessons in the final term of the school year. Pupils argue they stay at home to study for their end of year exams, but that leaves teachers faced with near empty classrooms towards the end of the school year.

House Education Committee member Takis Hadjigeorgiou of AKEL condemned the walkout, but also laid some blame on the Ministry.

“The pupils were wrong to abandon their lessons and just leave like that; however, the Ministry should have also handled the matter a little better. When the ruling was passed, the teachers and pupils should have been better informed on the changes, but they never were.”

One Ministry official told the Cyprus Mail that efforts were being made to resolve the problem. He added that the pupil’s classroom boycott was no way to go about solving the problem and the Ministry did not accept threats.

Stavros Papachristoforou, 16, goes to Kykkos Lyceum in Nicosia: he told the Cyprus Mail that it would not have made any difference if had stayed in the class or walked out.
“I was hardly going to stay and sit in the class all by myself. Everyone had decided that they would walk out on the lessons and there was no point in staying. I suppose this is the only way that pupils can make a stand, the same way people walk out of their jobs when they want to strike.”

Pallouriotissa Lyceum pupil Constantina Fanti, 17, said it did not make a difference whether they organised themselves and demonstrated or whether they just walked out.
“Whether we walk out or demonstrate makes no difference in my opinion. It is perfectly obvious to the people involved why we are doing this and the simple fact is we will not attend the lessons under those regulations. Change the regulations and we will return to the classrooms.”

Pupil Marianna Pantelidou was shopping for clothes along with three other classmates yesterday morning; she also says the new ruling is unfair.

“This new regulation is totally unjustified and will only put more strain on us as pupils studying for the final exams.”
Asked if clothes shopping might not detract from the message of their protest, Pantelidou said: “I think our point is being made just by not being in the lessons. I had a spare morning since there were no lessons, so I’m taking a bit of time to spend with my friends down town.”

Meanwhile, members of the House Education Committee visited schools in the Paphos area, where committee chairman Nicos Tornarites was informed of the problems currently facing schools in the area. Some of the problems with the schools in Paphos include poorly built buildings and lack of proper equipment.

“The role of the committee is not to hand out punishments. However, when there are problems within a school that were not dealt with in the past, then we are sometimes unfortunately left with no other choice but to act on the problems. We will also be visiting schools in the districts of Famagusta and Limassol before meeting with the Minister of Education to brief him on the various problems currently facing schools.”

I want the right of absence too!!

[devil]

God Almighty!

School pupils here probably attend fewer hours than anywhere else in Europe and then they claim the "right" to absent themselves. Sounds like they are preparing themselves for civil service jobs. Is it any wonder that the standard of education (a few private schools excepted) is abysmal?

Education is the mainstay of the future of the country. These idiots are ensuring that it maintains its banana republic status.

If I were in charge, I'd ask Parliament to approve a bill fining parents £25/day for every day, or part thereof, that a pupil does not attend class, without a valid excuse (medical cert required as from 3rd day of absence).

I'd like to mention Singapore, in contrast. Decades ago, the government nearly bankrupted the country in providing first class free education (and I mean really free), right through to doctorates. They not only have the finest teaching hospitals and universities in Asia, they also have the best-educated population, as all under 40 have profited from it. The country is a world leader in advanced technology and services. As a result, it is also very rich with a higher per capita GDP than Cyprus. It's a pity that Cyprus had not done the same thing, because they are also a shining example of how three major communities can live together peacefully without nationalistic bickering, even though the Indian and Malay peoples used to hate the Chinese, because the latter were dominant. And the Government stamped out corruption, to boot, not to mention well-paved clean streets and pavements with the police fining anyone throwing a cigarette end on the ground half-a-month's salary for the first offence. Oh, and tourists are not ripped off, either.

Cyprus is perhaps the other extreme, albeit more human, but I think lessons could be learnt, don't you?.

[Alexis]

Some good points devil.
However, don't be too harsh on poor old Cyprus, remember, on the global scale it has among the most well educated populations.
Certainly when you compare the state education system in Cyprus with the one in the UK you see that things aren't as bad as all that.
Anyway, whilst it's fine making comparisons with somewhere like Singapore (which differs from Cyprus considerably not least because it is effectively one very large city rather than a country) let's also remember that Cyprus currently carries round the burden of a rather unique political situation which undoubtedly takes up a lot of politician's time.
Also, whilst Cyprus could do with some lessons in education, a country like Singapore, whilst very rich also could learn some lessons in democracy. I would say that Singapore remains to this day one of the most autocratic countries on the planet. That said, since the size of the underclasses is fairly small, and most people are relatively well off, the status co remains despite the autocratic powers that the government maintains.

[Piratis]

Singapore is nice, rich and high tech. However the people there are like robots. I believe that Cypriots on average have a better life than the average Singaporean. Even if Singaporeans are content, I highly doubt Cypriots would be happy with that kind of life style. We are simply different kind of people, it is not just about policies.

However I agree with devil that education should be one of the major things to invest. Investing in Education would yield the best results in the long term. Maybe thats why they did it in Singapore. If they are like Alexis said, then the people that govern knew that nobody can move them from their position. In our case our elected people need to have something to show fast, and this is maybe why they concentrate on short and medium term goals and not much on the long term ones.

[Sotos]

devil, you are very strict! Do you hit your children with a belt?

[Svetlana]

<THread stolen ALERT> I am off to Singapore on Sunday, I will report back. It does contrast hugely with Cyprus in its total discipline (not necessarily a good thing) whereas CYPUS is a (the?) 'freestyle' society.

If a tenant vacates an apartment in a block in Singapore, the new tenant must be of the same race, to ensure ethnic balance. Can't see that working in Nicosia - it will be 'who pays the biggest rent' LOL!


Lana

[devil]

devil, you are very strict! Do you hit your children with a belt?

I grew up in the age when a cop would take his belt off and use it on a juvenile delinquent. I had that treatment once when one caught me smoking (I think ~13). MUCH more effective way of treating problems.

Corporal punishment at school was also administered on odd occasions (my school used the tawse).

I remember administering four slaps to the bottom of my daughter on one occasion (with my bare hand) for some misdemeanour. I think it traumatised me more than her. This was in the 1960s when it was still considered necessary, at times.

I still believe in the adage of sparing the rod and spoiling the child, when I see all the ill-behaved brats (and their equally ill-behaved parents) that it is my misfortune to encounter.

Of course, I believe corporal punishment must be administered fairly and without cruelty and certainly not abusively.

[aidy]

my opinion on this subject is as follows:

Regardless of how much is spent on schooling, at the end of the day the pupil will only go if they want to, this is usually down to how much interest a parent takes in the childs school life, and, schools need to make the lessons interesting, as opposed to sat behind a desk doing math from a textbook.

As for fining a parent for their childs truancy is a major thing in the UK, some parents have been known to go to prison for this. What does this acheive, most pupils who truant are (in this day and age) old enough and responsible enough to pay the consequences of their own actions.

I believe that if there is an on-going issue that is not improving with a pupil is they should be sent to a live-in school, where there is no option for them.

At the end of the day, if i 'truant' from employment, i know i will lose my job and have nothing. but i am old enough to know the consequences and put my own fate at risk. Pupils also know that if they truant from school, whats going to happen?? human rights have removed a parents right to discipline their child, any court /fines will go to the parents, what impact does it have on the child???? none, apart from a lost education, which at the time, (from when i remember i was a child) there was always college or something if i couldn't get work, or macdonalds etc.

[dms007]

i think the way things are going, soon enough the kids are going to ask for rights to not attend school.
well why not, they have rights of everything these days!

[garbitsch]

Lana, just let you know, it is a crime to chew a gum in Singapore. So be careful oops too late, ur already gone