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1. Educational support

2. Social cohesion and equal opportunities

Educational support

Special Education

The Ministry of Education,  Sport and Youth 2020 Annual Report states that the inclusion of children with special needs is a matter of major policy for the Ministry. Children with special needs are educated in public schools equipped with suitable infrastructure, according to the Laws for Special Education. The majority of children with special educational needs are educated within mainstream classrooms. However, children with severe difficulties are educated in the nine Special Schools, which are staffed with appropriate personnel (teachers for learning, intellectual, functional and adjustment difficulties, psychologists, speech therapists, nurses, physiotherapists and other specialists, as well as auxiliary staff), in order to provide high quality therapy, education and support. Based on the 2021 Annual Report of the Ministry (Ετήσια Έκθεση 2021; p. 27), the approved public budget of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth for Special Education in 2021 was €10 161 500  and includes expenses, such as the employment of teaching, therapeutic and auxiliary personnel, training and professional development of staff, the provision of specialised equipment for classrooms and individual children, the modification of buildings to provide accessibility, the transportation of children with special needs to and from school and to out-of-school activities, the running expenses of Special Schools, etc.

A series of seminars regarding special education is being developed to assist all teachers support children with special needs during their classes. All teachers are encouraged to attend courses of professional development (Προγράμματα – Σεμινάρια) run by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. Attendance at in-service seminars is compulsory whilst attendance at local seminars is encouraged. A series of pedagogical discussions - meetings are being held in order to help teachers,  counsellors and  liaison officers in each school to deal with pupils with special needs in the best possible way. Educational psychologists, university teachers and other specialists are called to carry out these professional meetings.

As the majority of children with special needs attend mainstream schools, those in the special education schools present the greatest learning difficulties. Hence, the curricula (Ειδική Εκπαίδευσης – Εκπαιδευτικό Υλικό) of such schools contain a major element of skills development in the areas of self-help and independence skills, social and emotional interaction, recreation and communication as well as vocational training. Where a child is able to follow elements of the mainstream curriculum, this is provided for. The content of the curriculum, the subjects taught, and the period of provision are decided by the individual school. There is no element of compulsory or optional curriculum. A pupil will study what he/she is able to.

For more information regarding Special Education in Cyprus, please visit the relevant section in the Eurydice website (Chapter 12) and the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education.

Social cohesion and equal opportunities

Policies in formal education

Since 2016, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth implements an upgraded educational policy pertaining to Multicultural Education, named “Policy Paper on the Integration of Pupils with Migrant Background to the Cyprus Educational System”. This Policy focuses on the smooth integration of pupils with migrant background into the educational system through the prism of an intercultural approach, anti-racist education, and the methodology of teaching Greek as a second language, via a variety of targeted actions, measures, educational materials, guides and supporting documents. The five priorities of the Policy include: 1. learning the Greek language; 2. reception of newly arrived children with a migrant background; 3. Teachers’ education and continuing professional development; 4. collection and analysis of data on the needs of pupils with migrant background, and 5. an intercultural approach in the new curricula. There are a number of methodological tools developed to support the effective implementation of the Policy, which are available for free in Greek and other foreign languages in the official website of the Policy (Εκπαιδευτική Ένταξη Παιδιών με Μεταναστευτική Βιογραφία – Οικοσελίδα) and in the links below:

• Didactic materials (Διδακτικό υλικό)

• Supporting documents in Greek and other foreign languages (Υποστηρικτικό υλικό)

• Curriculum of teaching Greek as second language and diagnostic tests (Αναλυτικό Πρόγραμμα-Διαγνωστικά Δοκίμια)

From the school year 2015/2016, all schools at all levels of education were required to implement the anti-racist policy of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth named "Code of Conduct against Racism and Guide for Managing and Recording Racist Incidents" (Κώδικας Συμπεριφοράς κατά του Ρατσισμού & Οδηγός Διαχείρισης και Καταγραφής Ρατσιστικών Περιστατικών). Based on the Ministry’s 2021 Annual Report, the policy conceptualizes racism in a broad manner, including all sorts of discrimination. It includes definitions of basic concepts which form the theoretical background (e.g., racism, racist incident, discrimination, stereotypes, diversity, etc.), outlines the responsibilities and commitments expected by each member of the school community, and provides the steps to be followed by schools in order to deal with racist incidents in a practical manner. It provides schools and teachers with a detailed plan on how to deal with and prevent racist incidents. The Cyprus Pedagogical Institute conducts several actions (e.g., workshops, conferences, seminars) every school year to support teachers and schools implementing the anti-racist policy. At the same time, the anti-racist policy website (Αντιρατσιστική Πολιτική – Οικοσελίδα) contains information regarding the implementation as well as additional educational material.

School subjects – Curriculum & Programmes at schools

Topics related to social cohesion and equal opportunities are included in the subject of Health Education (Αγωγή ΥγείαςΟικιακή Οικονομία) at lower and upper-secondary education level. Based on the Ministry’s 2020 & 2021 Annual Reports, activities that took place during the instruction included, among others, the organisation of workshops and activities for pupils regarding topics, such as:

• ways to deal with emotional issues, such as emotions of "anger" and "stress";
• conflict resolution;
• emotional health status and life values, such as responsibility, offer and respect;
• bullying-prevention and intervention classroom activities;
• promotion of acceptance;
• management of diversity and multiculturalism.  

In addition, the continuing professional development (CPD) seminars (Προγράμματα – Σεμινάρια) for secondary education teachers offered by the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute  address issues, such as cultivating empathy, social and emotional intelligence, applying anti-racist policies in schools, human relations and crisis management, human rights education, integration of migrant students in schools, developing empathy skills and respect for diversity, conflict resolution, fighting prejudice and racism while accepting diversity, etc. In regards to the policy "Code of Conduct against Racism and Guide for Managing and Recording Racist Incidents", there is a specialised section within the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute official website, where students, teachers and parents can find supportive material (Αντιρατσιστική Πολιτική - Υποστηρικτικό Υλικό) and relevant conferences and seminars (Αντιρατσιστική Πολιτική - Σεμινάρια – Συνέδρια)..

In addition, as mentioned in section 6.3, one centralised programme which aims to support the Cypriot population living below the poverty line or being at risk of poverty and social exclusion and it aims to strengthen social cohesion by reducing the risk of social marginalization and exclusion, is the Actions for School and Social Inclusion+ (DRA.S.E.+) programme (Δράσεις Σχολικής και Κοινωνικής Ένταξης) offered by the Ministry of Education. The total budget of the Programme, is €35 962 700. In regards to programmes, projects and initiatives in the field of the vocational education and training, relevant information can be found in the section 4.4 of the Youth Wiki related to inclusive programmes for vulnerable youth.

More detailed information is also available in the Eurydice report on Citizenship Education of 2017.

Programmes/projects/initiatives in the context of non-formal and informal learning 

One of the most important initiatives in Cyprus which promote equal opportunities for everyone in the island are also the State Institutes for Further Education launched by the Ministry. The State Institutes function under the auspices of Secondary Education all over Cyprus, and they aim at offering equal opportunities of education to thousands of pupils of all ages and adults, and promoting lifelong learning. They help low-income families and offer scholarships to pupils who excel in their examinations. There are 41 State Institutes all over Cyprus with more than 12 500 pupils every year, and they are addressed not only to young people, but to the whole population in Cyprus. In an attempt to provide equal opportunities through education to all citizens, a wide variety of lessons is offered at the State Institutes for Further Education, such as:

• Foreign Languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Turkish) up to level B1 or B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
• Greek to non-native Greek speakers
• Accounting at all levels
• Remedial lessons for lower and upper-secondary pupils
• Preparatory lessons for the Pancyprian Exams
• ICT classes

Since 2003, the State Institutes for Further Education have been offering free Greek lessons for the Turkish Cypriots and free Turkish lessons for the Greek Cypriots in an attempt to create communication bridges between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots.

Furthermore, the Ministry’s 2021 Annual Report states that the Committee of Health Education and Citizenship – as an expert actor/stakeholder of the Ministry - funds non-school-related actions to support pupils belonging to vulnerable groups. The Programme operates since 2012 and is part of the Ministry’s commitments to the National Strategy of the Cyprus National Addictions Authority to address the Dependence on Illegal Substances and the Harmful Use of Alcohol (2013-2020). In the context of promoting this policy, the Committee of Health Education and Citizenship favours the development of actions by schools aiming at involving these children in non-school activities, to make creative use of their free time. The actions aim at learning, emotional and social support, self-empowerment, highlighting and fostering talent as well as developing a safe life for pupils who belong to vulnerable groups. During the school year 2020/2021, 860 actions were funded under this Programme.

As for other initiatives organised in the context of non-formal and informal learning, the Youth Board of Cyprus organizes several initiatives and informative campaigns (e.g. "You still agree, right?" «Εξακολουθείς να συμφωνείς, σωστά;») on various social issues concerning youth, such as hate speech, racism, intolerance, prejudice, stereotypes, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. 

In addition, another inclusive programme in Cyprus in the context of non-formal, informal learning and youth work is the "Youth Initiatives Project” of the Youth Board of Cyprus aiming to grant activities organised by young people and youth organisations so that young people can have an active role in cultural, sport, political and social activities in Cyprus. For more information, please also visit section 4.7.