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Maroula Theodosiadou, a pioneering educator who dedicated her life to early childhood education and refugee children in Cyprus, has died at 92.
Known as a tireless advocate for education, Theodosiadou was considered the heart of kindergarten and primary teaching on the island. According to an article by Kathimerini's Apostolos Kouroupakis, after the 1974 Turkish invasion, she left her “Mana” Kindergarten in Pallouriotissa to establish a school inside the Stavros refugee camp, later founding kindergartens in several other settlements at the request of the Education Ministry.
“The children were all sad then … we teachers held back our tears and tried to make them smile,” she recalled in a 2020 interview, describing her work with displaced children.
Beyond the classroom, Theodosiadou was a founding member of the Progressive Movement of Teachers and Kindergarten Educators in 1993 and remained active in education and union matters. At a 2018 teachers’ demonstration, she declared, “Teaching is not a profession, it is a vocation … they do not just instruct, they nurture.”
She also wrote extensively, authoring children’s books and poetry collections, including I Sing of Bitter Exile (1976), inspired by her experiences with refugee children. Proceeds from that book were donated to support the Stavros camp kindergarten.
Throughout her life, Theodosiadou championed the dignity of teachers and the well-being of children, leaving a legacy as both educator and advocate.
