English School parents fight back
By Elias Hazou
18 Jan 2009
Cyprus Mail
A GROUP of English School parents and alumni voicing concerns about the
`preservation of the school’s Christian and multicultural nature’ have
sought to set the record straight over their views.
Calling themselves the English School Parents and Alumni Initiative,
the group says that a number of teachers are trying to push a specific
political agenda on students.
The views allegedly being imposed on pupils are understood to be
left-wing, which deviate from the standard curriculum regarding the
history of the island.
Some of the group’s grievances include the banning of symbols like the
Greek flag and the cross, the removal of religious icons from the
classroom and the national anthem.
The English School began as a multicultural school for all children of
Cyprus. After the 1974 invasion, Turkish Cypriot children stopped
attending, until 2003 when they were able to cross again to the free
areas.
On its website () the initiative
posted an announcement `for the purpose of avoiding any
misinterpretation or distortion, whether intentional or not, of the
objectives of the Initiative’.
Its first point reads: `Not only does the Initiative not aim at the
exclusion of the Turkish Cypriot students from the School, but it
considers their smooth accession and integration in the School
community, which has already been successfully effected, to be valuable
and beneficial.’
But some teachers, the group says, are abusing their power by promoting
their own views on the inter-communal disturbances of the 1960s and of
the role of EOKA, with what is perceived as an undue emphasis on the
fact that atrocities were also committed by the Greek Cypriot side.
The initiative thinks it has been misrepresented and portrayed as
nationalists or Greek Orthodox zealots.
`Nothing could be farther from the truth. We only ask that teachers
leave their politics at home,’ a source close to the initiative told
the Sunday Mail.
The group is holding a meeting at Nicosia’s Hilton Hotel on 28 January.
Invitations have been sent out to some 500 parents of English School
parents, and the initiative expects a high turnout.
But Kyriacos Vassiliou, chairman of the school’s board of governors,
categorically denies any attempt at indoctrination. He says that
repeated calls to the initiative for a `civilised discussion’ have gone
unanswered, although a couple of concerned parents did meet with him in
private.
`I am extremely saddened that this sort of climate is being created.
Frankly, I don’t know if they know the meaning of the term `exchange of
views’,’ said Vassiliou.
Instead, some teachers have received anonymous letters accusing them of
trying to influence their students. The school says that because the
letters are anonymous it cannot examine them on principle.
On the surface, the two schools of thought see eye to eye on many
things. Both agree that the school should be multicultural and embrace
students from different backgrounds – not only Turkish Cypriots, but
also Armenians, Maronites etc.
But behind the scenes, it is the tactics employed by either side – if
the term is applicable – that have served to poison the climate.
For instance, the Sunday Mail has learned that alarmist rumours began
circulating that a picture of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish
Republic, would be posted on the school grounds.
It appears that the rumour was started after someone posited, for
argument’s sake, that if the school was indeed multicultural, then
Ataturk should be depicted alongside Greek symbols. Far from suggesting
that this should be done, the point of the argument was that one should
tread a fine line when dealing with nationalist imagery.
On the flipside, it is said that several teachers have been trying to
disseminate pro-AKEL propaganda in classrooms, with the board’s tacit
backing.
One of the complaints concerns the visit of AKEL member, Rolandos
Katsiaounis, who was invited to speak at the end of October to
celebrate Cyprus’ independence, a month late and without the national
anthem.
According to the group, in his speech Katsiaounis said that there had
been no Turkish invasion in 1974. Allegedly, he also told students that
the national anthem belonged to a different country (Greece) and that
it would never be heard again at the school.
Of the 10 members of the board of governors, it’s understood that three
are AKEL sympathisers, three with DIKO, two with DISY, one with
socialists EDEK, and there is one Turkish Cypriot.
Meanwhile the school has employed the services of an American
consultant, who is to assess integration so far and make her
recommendations to the board.
Integration at the school seems to have gone relatively smoothly,
without major problems – and it’s plausible that the pupils themselves
have been caught in the crossfire.
http://www.englishschoolnews.com/