Minister lauds ‘innovative’ afternoon school programmes

Greek language and culture are part of the “innovative” teaching programme of the afternoon school in gymnasiums, Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou said Thursday.

Speaking at the presentation of the scheme, the minister focused on the teaching material and long-term goals of the afternoon school.

He said the programme, approved by cabinet last March, started on a pilot basis at the Pancyprian gymnasium this academic year, with the participation of 34 first grade students at various Nicosia secondary schools.

It is independent from morning classes, the minister said, as it is offered daily after 1.35pm and is based on a curriculum and philosophy different from the rest of secondary school subjects.

Next year, the programme will be extended to second grade gymnasium students, with the aim for its gradual expansion to other secondary schools, Prodromou added.

The programme is based on two parallel areas which aim to cultivate and strengthen essential skills. The first concerns the STEAM methodology and the second the teaching of the Greek language and Greek culture.

The STEAM programme is an interdisciplinary approach, which uses Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics as access points for the cultivation of research, dialogue, and critical thinking in students. The teaching of the Greek language and Greek culture involves both the study and use of the language and the study of the intellectual material, historical and artistic achievements of the Greeks in Greece, Cyprus and the rest of the world.

Pancyprian gymnasium, previously only a three-grade musical high school, now includes six grades consisting of three grades of lower secondary school (gymnasium) and higher secondary school (lyceum). The musical gymnasium of the Acropolis gymnasium is also expected to be transferred to Pancyprian during the 2022-23 year.