Mylonas: Government must do more to support education

A Paphos special education teacher has to carry children to the toilets herself, House Education Committee chairman Pavlos Mylonas said on Friday, highlighting the need to invest more funds in schools.

The state needs to provide money to support both the infrastructure and the peadagogical work of many teachers, especially in special education, the chairman said during a day-long visit with the parliamentary committee to four schools in Paphos.

Speaking from the public nursery school Evagoras Pallikarides, Mylonas said the special education teacher is obliged to carry the children one by one to the toilets by herself. It was not clear, he said, whether the problem was the lack of sufficient space in the school or funds to build another proper toilet.

“More money is needed for education,” he said as he expressed hope that the new government and the new education minister, as well as parliament, will find money to support education and children’s needs.

He added that we are not talking about economic interests or business activities, but “for the spiritual, moral and social development of our children, who will be the next citizens of the country.”

“Let’s curb stinginess and wastefulness elsewhere and find the money needed to support our schools,” he declared.

Students of the public kindergarten surprised MPs by welcoming them wearing the traditional Cypriot uniform and reciting various poems.

MPs also visited the Iordaneio Primary School, the fourth Primary School in Kato Pervolia and the Ayios Theodoros High School.

The Chairman of the Education Committee was accompanied by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Paphos MP Chrysanthos Savvidis, Limassol MP Andreas Kavkalias, and Paphos MPs Charalambos Pazaros and Valentinos Fakontis. Apart from the MPs, the visits were carried out with representatives of the ministry of primary and secondary education and other Paphos officials.