Nicosia, Cyprus. Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Monday that the Pancyprian examinations should be seen as a new beginning for students, not the end, during a visit to a high school in Nicosia marking the start of the exam season. She also said reform of special needs education in Cyprus is long overdue.
Examinations begin
Michaelidou said the message being conveyed to students is that the examinations are not the end, but the beginning, describing them as one step in their future lives and journeys.
She said around 5,300 students will sit this year’s Pancyprian examinations, including 600 who will take them under special conditions.
Once the examinations are completed, she said, the process of allocating university places will follow in July.
Special needs education reform
Asked about government plans to reform special needs education, Michaelidou said such changes are long overdue, noting that the most recent reforms to the system were enacted in 1999.
She said many children and their parents have been suffering for decades within the current system.
Michaelidou said the planned changes are linked to a transition to child-centred education focused on the needs of each child, giving parents a voice and improving internal processes in special education.
Investment in education
She said the government believes children are the future of the country and that any investment in education is worthwhile.