Marina Economides
Last week, a new conspiracy was uncovered by the eternally "nationally concerned" individuals. The far-right party, ELAM, called for the resignation of the Minister of Education after reports and leaks suggested that a non-governmental organization was organizing school trips for students and teachers to the occupied areas of Cyprus. They even accused the Ministry of Education of not serving Greek-Orthodox education, but instead promoting a diverse form of education designed to serve "foreign interests." Other lawmakers, astonished, reacted with similar outrage. For example, the Chairman of the Education Committee, Pavlos Mylonas, warned of his potential resignation, while Chrysanthos Savvidis expressed his fury, and Zacharias Koulias chimed in, saying that if such programs represented the government, "then we have no place in the government."
A bicommunal program that has been operating since 2016 was, until now, apparently unknown to the vigilant guardians of Greek identity and Orthodoxy. As was also the case with President Christodoulides’ actions, who, might I remind you, was elected by these same individuals. Just this past January, he condemned Ersin Tatar for his intransigence, using as an example the suspension of the Turkish Cypriot side's participation in the award-winning program "Imagine," organized by the Technical Committee for Education. He emphasized that the program promoted peace and reconciliation through education. It was clear that both the work of the committees and non-governmental organizations in this field was supported by DISY President Annita Demetriou, who, when visiting the House of Cooperation last May, was photographed with members of the Historical Dialogue and Research Group, highlighting the need for Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot women to work together and propose ways to involve women more actively in negotiations. Therefore, the orchestrated uproar nine years later not only confirmed how inadequate these individuals are in their parliamentary roles, but mainly underscored that patriotism has become an opportunistic tool in their hands to achieve political gain. By misleading the public, they are furthering hatred, fear, and suspicion.
the orchestrated uproar nine years later not only confirmed how inadequate these individuals are in their parliamentary roles, but mainly underscored that patriotism has become an opportunistic tool
At some point, it would be wise to seriously consider the competence of those sitting on the Education Committee in Parliament. Do they have the will to take education a step further? Does the conflict of interest for some of them prevent them from making decisions based on the public good? And we must question whether they are, in fact, holding education hostage to their own ideologies and prejudices, and more importantly, to their own political and economic interests.
At the same time, we should also consider the damage caused by certain educational circles, who deliberately cultivate intolerance. Education should promote dialectical thinking, critical analysis, and democratic discourse. Yet some educators have eagerly joined the game of targeting and presenting their colleagues as Trojan horses for foreign interests. Meanwhile, they are fully aware that the program carried out over the past nine years is entirely voluntary, happens during the students' free time, and with parental consent. However, today they cry out about the subversion of Greek identity, as they "fear" foreign interests may be infiltrating schools. This is happening at the same time the evaluation of teachers is being discussed. This debate would not have taken the course it has if voices of reason had deconstructed all this absurdity with proper arguments. How can we expect future generations to fight and remember the places that we are actively preventing them from knowing? And how, exactly, will the solution we claim to pursue be implemented if politicians and educators are teaching these children to undermine that very solution? The discussion would end if the President explained the harm that these statements are causing to the achievement of a solution. If the Minister of Education were not being manipulated by educational organizations to hold onto her chair. If Annita Demetriou continued to highlight the importance of such actions, rather than expressing concerns today about what is happening to our children.
Extreme voices have always made the most noise. Catchy slogans and emotional appeals have always attracted more listeners. What is now truly worrying is not that the voices of intransigence and conservatism have grown louder. What is alarming is that, unfortunately, the voices of moderation are becoming increasingly scarce. These are the voices that, with rationality and sound arguments, could serve as a counterbalance—counteracting all the hypocrisy and darkness that are increasingly being entrenched day by day.
