Parents call for more schools amid concerns of overcrowding

Parents of primary-school children in Larnaca are calling for the establishment of more schools in the district due to concerns such as overcrowding, delinquency, and bullying.

In a written statement, the Federation of Parents’ Associations of Primary Education highlighted their priorities of ensuring quality public education and fostering a safe school environment.

The parents mentioned delinquency, bullying, issues related to special education, and the “perennial problem of all schools in Cyprus, which is overcrowded classrooms”.

“There are classes of 25 children in schools and in many cases several students are non-native speakers as a result of which the children who speak the Greek language are also a little behind in lessons with the result that the progress of both groups is held back,” the statement said.

Another significant issue highlighted in the statement is the provision of all-day schooling, which is free but requires parents’ associations to provide meals based on an outdated diet plan. Additionally, there are more needy students than those whose parents can afford to contribute.

Several of the problems faced by the 53 Primary Schools in the district were raised last year with the education ministry, the statement added. This also included issues related to infrastructure and safety of school premises.

“There is an immediate need to create new primary schools in Livadia, Oroklini and Aradippou,” the federation said, adding that this process needed to be sped up since the populations in these areas, and others, were increasing faster than the improvement of existing facilities.

Regarding delinquency, the federation called for the implementation of measures such as the installation of CCTV cameras and hiring security guards to enhance safety in schools.