Education Minister discusses bilateral cooperation with Ambassadors of France and Israel

Issues of bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and France and Cyprus and Israel were on the agenda of meetings the Education, Sport and Youth Minister Athena Michaelidou had with the Ambassadors of the two countries.

A press release by the Ministry says that Michaelidou discussed with Ambassador of France in Cyprus, Salina Catalano, the efforts made by Cyprus in recent years to strengthen the teaching of French in public education.

They also discussed issues related to the operation of the French-Cypriot following a decision taken by the Cyprus Cabinet to set up an Education, Innovation and Research Center in Athalassa area, where the French-Cypriot School, the Cyprus Institute and the adjacent Institute of Agricultural Research are located.

Michaelidou and the Ambassador discussed issues related to higher education and the choice of Cypriot students to pick France for studies.

The upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024 and actions to promote the values of Olympism were also on the agenda.

The Minister and the Ambassador expressed their satisfaction for the very constructive meeting they had and agreed that there is great scope and will from both sides to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation.

In the meeting with Ambassador of Israel, Oren Anolik, the two sides discussed the issue of the Cooperation Programme in the fields of Education, Science, Culture, Youth and Sports between the Republic of Cyprus and Israel, which is in the final phase of renewal for the 2023-2025 period.

Michaelidou and Anolik, agreed that the programme could be signed in the near future, as long as some points on the text are finalised.

They also discussed the ongoing process of renewing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.

The Minister and the Ambassador agreed that bilateral cooperation should be developed even further, in the form of the exchange of information, good practices and expertise on issues such as school leadership, improving learning outcomes, artificial intelligence, innovation, maritime and environment education and sustainable development.

(Source: CNA)