Stopping school bus routes and tarnishing all pupils' reputations over a few troublemakers is not a solution, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said, adding that she expects better monitoring and punishment for those who misbehave. She also said installing air conditioning in all schools "is a matter of time" and should not be "used as a political football."
Speaking in Limassol, following the cancellation of school bus routes by the contracted company in Larnaca over disruptive behaviour, Michaelidou said "what's frustrating is that, for the sake of 2, 3 or 10 cases, the name of all our children gets tarnished."
"Around 25,000 children use the buses, and both we and the Parents' Associations constantly encourage children to use them," she said, adding that "this is the solution to many problems, both for parents and for the environment."
Expressing regret that "ways have not yet been found to identify these children and impose the punishments needed," she said the matter has been discussed and that she is in consultation with the Transport Minister "to find the most suitable solutions."
Stopping the routes is not a solution, she added, nor is punishing all the other children because of one or two troublemakers.
Asked whether there were any proposals for tackling the problem, she said "cameras are one solution, along with better monitoring on board the buses and, of course, punishment." "Where punishment has been tried, it has been effective, since parents are informed, often come in, pay for the damage, and that gets results," she added.
On air conditioning and uniform rules
The Education Minister also responded to questions about pupils staying away from lessons over air conditioning and the ban on shorts.
"Let me say clearly that problems are not solved by keeping children out of classrooms. No problem can be solved that way," Michaelidou said, stressing that "problems are solved through proper communication, informing parents, informing teachers and informing the children themselves."
On the issue of shorts, she said a specific circular exists giving pupils the option to wear them "if they discuss it with their school, with the school's management and with their parents, so it's a decision we left to be made at school level, decentralised."
On air conditioning, she said that while the previous government had stated air conditioning would not be installed in schools, "as soon as we took office, we immediately made this a priority and are moving forward gradually, through many difficulties."
She stressed that the contract and tender procedures are time-consuming, as is the electrical upgrading of buildings needed to support air conditioning systems. "We're not just installing units, we're rebuilding the entire network," she said, adding that "we will have air conditioning in every school."
She called on everyone "to stop using this issue, exploiting it and turning it into a political football, given that it is a matter of time," noting that 90% of lyceums and 70% of gymnasiums already have functioning air conditioning.
"These are figures given to us by the School Boards themselves, but we also confirm them through our own data from the schools, and this year primary schools will move forward too," she added, stressing that "above all, we want safety to guide the air conditioning issue, not the timelines we set."
Source: Cyprus News Agency (CNA)
