Nicosia, Cyprus. Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said Turkish Cypriot authorities control the books used in schools in the occupied Karpas peninsula, affecting the unhindered right of children to education. She commented after a newspaper report on a European Parliamentary Research Service study on enclaved students in Karpasia.
European Parliament study on enclaved students
Michaelidou was responding to an article in Phileleftheros about the conclusions of a European Parliamentary Research Service report, which she described as very important. The study, reportedly titled Enclaved students in Cyprus, examines conditions and daily difficulties faced by Greek Cypriot students living in certain villages in the north, marking the first such investigation by a European Parliament service and, more broadly, a European institution.
Request for on-site delegation visit
Based on the investigation’s conclusions, an on-site European Parliament delegation will be requested to ascertain first-hand the situation in the occupied school of Rizokarpaso.
MEP initiative and reported concerns
The issue gained attention following a request by Cypriot MEP Loukas Fourlas to determine whether there are any human rights violations at the Rizokarpaso school. Michaelidou said that about two years ago she visited the European Parliament and presented the issue to MEPs, adding that there was concern because it is an aspect of the Cyprus problem that was “invisible for many years.”
Government stance
Michaelidou said the European Parliament’s report records problems of insufficient access to the right to education for nearly 50 children. She said the government would like the European Parliament to proceed with a visit and to place emphasis on this aspect of the Cyprus problem, expressing hope that such a visit would allow the children to receive the education they deserve.
What impact could an on-site European Parliament visit have on the education of enclaved students in Rizokarpaso?
