Keep Ukraine war out of the classroom, says minister

Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou on Thursday asked for the war in Ukraine to “stay out of schools” saying children who are of Russian descent should not be victimised following recent incidents in schools with Ukrainian and Russian students.

“Children and school are by definition out of any war,” he said.

Schools teach the value of peace, freedom, justice and respect for all peoples, Prodromou said, adding it is “unthinkable” for the intensity of the war to be transferred into school.

The minister referred to incidents that had occurred in schools involving students of Ukrainian and Russian origin, without specifying.

He called for caution explaining “we must respect the tension and the emotional charge of children who have a connection with Ukraine”.

At the same time “children who have an origin or a connection with Russia must not be victimised under any circumstances,” Prodromou said.

He added the education ministry has issued guidelines on how to handle such issues.