Nicosia, Cyprus. MPs from the House education committee visited schools in Kaimakli on Friday after parents and students requested an examination of what they described as a “demographic alteration” in the area.
Visit to primary and nursery schools
MPs Pavlos Mylonas, Demetris Demetriou, Christos Christofides and Chrysis Pantelides, along with Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos and representatives from teachers’ union Poed, the district school board and parents associations, visited the third primary school and third nursery school, where they identified “serious problems”.
Figures cited by Mylonas
Mylonas said there were “serious problems regarding the demographic alteration of the area” and stated that at the nursery school there were six Greek Cypriot children and 170 children from third countries. MPs were also told that more than half of the pupils in the area’s primary schools come from immigrant backgrounds.
Teaching and communication challenges
Mylonas said teachers were making “a very big effort” to teach Greek and create conditions for smooth learning. He said issues often stem from a lack of communication between parents and children with an immigrant background, either because parents are working, because they refuse to do so, or because mothers cannot visit the schools.
Parents’ concerns and request for an interpreter
Mylonas said parents voiced a “cry of desperation” and reported that many Arabic-speakers move their children from other areas to the school because it has the most Arabic-speaking children. He said an interpreter had been requested to improve communication between parents, adding that there are cases, “very few, of course,” where there is a total refusal to communicate.
Difficulty resolving the issues
“All efforts are being made to solve the problems, but I sincerely believe that solving the problems is extremely difficult due to the creation of a large community there from a specific Arab country and region,” Mylonas said.
What measures do you think schools should prioritise to improve communication with parents from immigrant backgrounds?