Move to archive the history of schools

An initiative is underway to find and rescue historical material on the island’s primary and secondary schools with a view to setting up an educational history archive at the Cyprus research centre.

In a statement on Tuesday, the education ministry said the process had been set in motion, with a meeting held earlier this month between Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou and the consultative committee specially appointed to this end.

It emerged from the meeting that there are records and documents at schools, school boards as well as at local authorities which may not at all times be properly stored and preserved.

The committee also agreed that in putting together a single archive, there must be cooperation with the archbishopric and the bishoprics. The material must be recorded and digitised so as to be available electronically for research purposes.

Schools will be given instructions as to how to handle stored materials as well as documents henceforth to have a record of what is there. They will also initiate the setting up of archives. Each school should try to record its history from the day of establishment. Special efforts will be made to reconstitute the archives of schools in the north.

The committee is made up of Demetris Charalambous (professor at Thesaloniki university), Nasa Patapoiu (historian researcher, poet), Maria Michaelidou (former primary school inspector, writer), Demetris Taliadoros (lyceum head, historian) and Demetris Mikellides (primary school official, writer).