Cyprus takes on presidency of Institution of European Schools

Cyprus has taken over the Presidency of the Institution of European Schools for the first time, with Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Dr Athena Michailidou describing the achievement as a “landmark day”.

These, she said, "essentially constitute an intergovernmental system of multilingual and multicultural education, with over thirty thousand students of all levels, in all member states of the European Union."

In a press conference about Cyprus assuming the Presidency of European Schools, Michailidou clarified that the governing body of European Schools is the Supreme Council, which decides on pedagogical, administrative, and financial matters, and includes the Ministers of Education of the member states or their representatives, as well as representatives of the European Commission. The Presidency of the Council is assigned to a member state of the European Union for each school year.

She emphasised that Cyprus will preside over the Council for the 2024-2025 school year. Back in June she noted, the informal handover ceremony of the Presidency took place in Nicosia.

"During our Presidency, we will strive to achieve the institution's key goals, such as building a supportive, inclusive, and safe school community, promoting the improvement of the quality of the working environment and the well-being of teachers, as well as utilizing education as an important tool for sustainable development. At the same time, we will adequately respond to all administrative challenges that may arise to meet the system's needs," said Michailidou.

Referring to her recent visit to the European School "Brussels III" as part of the Council of Ministers last May, she mentioned that this is one of the European Schools with a Greek language section.

"My visit there gave me the opportunity to see firsthand the unique school environment that these schools offer, and especially their multicultural and multilingual nature. The Republic of Cyprus currently contributes three teachers, who serve on secondment at the European Schools, and from the next school year, this number will increase to five", she noted.

The Minister noted that during the three-day Council meeting in Parma, Italy, last April, important decisions were made regarding the future of the institution. During the same period, she continued, "the first forum of European School teachers was organized, a pioneering initiative that we aim to continue during the Cypriot Presidency. In this context, we will host the second similar forum in Cyprus next April, as well as the next meeting of the Supreme Council."

"We are also considering the possibility of establishing a European School in Cyprus," she added.

At the press conference, the logo of the Cypriot Presidency of the European Schools was also presented by the Head of the Office of European and International Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth, who will preside over the Supreme Council during the Cypriot Presidency.

(Photos: Andreas Loucaides, PIO)