Çayönü-İncirli Parent-Teacher Association and Güvercinlik RRD Primary School Parent-Teacher Association protested the merging of the two schools.
Stating that the Council of Ministers took a central decision on the merging of both schools on 29 August without evaluating the local conditions.
KTÖS Secretary General Burak Maviş expressed his support for the action of the unions, expressing that this decision caused a reaction in all three villages.
Burak Maviş, Secretary General of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Union (KTÖS), supported the action organized by the Çayönü-İncirli Parent-Teacher Association and Güvercinlik RRD Primary School Parent-Teacher Association and made statements on the subject.
Maviş stated that the Council of Ministers made a central decision on the merging of both schools on August 29, without evaluating the local conditions, and stated that this decision created a reaction in all three villages.
Maviş stated that the decision that caused the families to take action on the first day of school was taken without participatory democracy, and that the reasons put forward by the Ministry were not shared with families and education stakeholders.
Against the Ministry’s claim that the number of students in both schools is low, Maviş stated that there were 73 students in Çayönü-İncirli Primary School and 62 students in Güvercinlik Primary School last year, and that these numbers are ideal for village primary schools.
Maviş asked the Ministry, “Is there an academic problem”? Asking his question, he emphasized that if there is a report in this direction, the inspectors should share it with the society and create a consultation environment.
Maviş pointed out that it would be beneficial for the Ministry to explain the reasons for the merger based on scientific data.
Saying that the Ministry acts with the logic of “I can do it,” Maviş underlined that this attitude is anti-democratic and that the staff of the Ministry should visit all three villages, conduct preliminary studies and consult with all stakeholders in education.
Maviş stated that families are worried about the transportation of young children in a region where road safety is discussed, adding that a 4-year-old child who sets off from İncirli will travel 30 km a day with this decision.
Maviş stated that the decision was taken to the court by the school family unions and said that there was a litigation process that they rarely encountered in history.
Maviş stated that when we look at the practice in schools after the decision, they observed that the schools were trying to save on teacher staff and finance transportation rather than the efficiency of the education/training service.
Maviş states that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states, “The state, courts and laws are based on the best interests of the child in activities concerning children.”
He stated that the Ministry of Education should re-evaluate the decision or propose an interim solution, considering the best interests of the child in any case.
Pointing out that families take care of their schools and children, Maviş emphasized that it is important to take into account the concerns raised by the Ministry of Education and rethink the issue within the framework of the principle of participatory democracy.
Maviş stated that although it was known that the families would take action on the first day of school, the Ministry did not come to the villages and further tensed the atmosphere by giving directives from Nicosia.
Saying that the teachers were left in a difficult situation with the directive from afar.
Maviş stated that if this attitude continues, they will be involved in the event as a union.