The alternative study and reintegration school, currently in a separate area within the Pancyprian Gymnasium in Nicosia, will be moved to another place due to hostility directed against its students.
The education ministry on Monday expressed its “deep regret and disappointment about the hostile stance created against children that are already facing significant challenges in their lives and studies”.
It spoke of “absence of lack of empathy and unjustified targeting of children struggling to integrate into the education system”.
The alternative school, it said, was formed on the basis of international practices, with an aim to provide education opportunities to children facing psycho-pedagogical difficulties, so that they can reintegrate into the school.
“Despite the fact that an autonomous special area in the Pancyprian Gymnasium had been selected, fully respecting its operation, misinformation and reactions from parents and teachers cultivated a climate of fear and conflict, which undermined the programme.”
The ministry said that, in order to protect the children, it decided to move the programme “to another more welcoming place, to ensure better conditions and above all the safety of the children in question.”
It added that for such a programme to be successful, society had to support it and understand that education must be accessible for all children, regardless of the difficulties they are facing in their lives.
“Despite the difficulties, the ministry will continue decisively to implement measures for a more modern, inclusive school, pursuing the well-intentioned interest of all students, without exclusions or prejudices,” it said.
