Marina Economides
Two separate incidents last week reignited an uncomfortable but necessary question: What kind of education do we really want? One that is secular, progressive, and grounded in critical thinking, or one shaped by fear, dogma, and outdated ideas? Who really stands to lose when critical thinking prevails, when sacred cows are questioned, and when free expression is encouraged? And more importantly, who benefits from these stubborn throwbacks to the past, and who’s going to step up to stop the slide?
One of the incidents involved a photo of students caught on camera making Nazi salutes, an image that sparked discomfort across parts of our society. Not because anyone truly believed the students were embracing Nazi ideology, but because their ignorance of a chapter in history defined by hatred, darkness, and death spoke volumes about the state, and future, of our education system.
Many were quick to brush it off as teenage foolishness; some even went so far as to suggest they were just mimicking Elon Musk. But this normalization of fascism begins exactly when ignorance takes over, when gestures like this are downplayed, and when our collective instinct to resist starts to dull.
That led to another, equally uncomfortable question: how did the adults respond? Aside from the one teacher who reported the incident, the silence was deafening. Not because educators should punish students, but because someone should have stepped in to explain why that gesture is not just a joke. The Ministry of Education quickly dismissed the matter as a “misinterpretation,” while the teachers’ union OELMEK defended the teacher involved, insisting there was no incitement. And yes, thankfully, we’re not at a point where teachers are actively encouraging this kind of behavior. But we are, it seems, at a point where teacher unions stay silent, or even protective, when their own are involved, creating a sense of omertà.
None of the unions took the opportunity to spark a deeper conversation, at the very least, about raising awareness. About addressing the gaps in an outdated and underperforming system. And the same MPs who are constantly lamenting the state of our children’s welfare had nothing to say about this either. Apparently, it wasn’t as concerning as students participating in the Imagine program to learn about their homeland. It was enough for them that there was no "woke agenda" being promoted, that the "traditional" family wasn’t questioned, and most importantly, that Orthodox Christianity wasn’t being undermined in schools.
And while this was happening in the government-controlled areas of the Republic, Turkish Cypriot educators were fighting a very different battle in the occupied areas, one for survival. With banners reading “Cyprus is secular and will remain secular,” they took to the streets to protest the “government’s” decision to allow the hijab in schools. Their protest was more than a reaction; it was a declaration that secularism is part of their identity. It was also a reminder that this fight transcends political parties, ideologies, and individual leaders.
Teachers were, unsurprisingly, at the forefront of this movement. And it wasn’t the first time. Turkish Cypriot educators have often taken a stand—not over salaries or working hours, but for political reasons. They’ve marched to resist Ankara and Erdogan’s policies, even under threat. They’ve taken to the streets for the sake of a secular education.
When was the last time we did the same? When was the last time we stood up against a system that is clearly failing? A society that no longer resists is a society already on the path to collapse.
*This article was translated from its Greek original
