We support the participation of students in European initiatives, said the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, speaking at the award ceremony for participants at the European Parliament’s School-Ambassador Programme (2023-2024) and for students who distinguished themselves in the Pan-Cypriot School Competition for the Production of Audiovisual Material for the European Elections. The ceremony was under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and took place on Friday afternoon at the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia.
In her address, Michaelidou stated that Cyprus’ accession to the European Union ”opened up a huge field of options, improved our everyday lives, pushed for the modernisation of our state at all levels, while with the creation of a European education area, today’s students and tomorrow’s citizens will be able to travel, study and work in any European country they wish.”
“Our Ministry supports and encourages the participation of as many s
tudents as possible in European initiatives, actions and programmes”, said Michaelidou. “In our effort, we have always had a valuable partner, the Office of the European Parliament, with which we have developed a close long-term cooperation”, she noted, adding that “in the context of our cooperation, we count several actions, the main one being the pan-European programme “School Ambassador of the European Parliament”, in which secondary schools show great interest.
In his address, the Head of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus, Andreas Kettis, spoke of a programme that has been implemented for eight years in all EU member states by the local EP Offices. During this school year, 30 high schools and technical schools, both public and private from all the districts of Cyprus took part, he noted.
“The goal of the programme,” said Kettis, “is to make our students share the values of parliamentary democracy and learn the value of democracy in an era where, unfortunately, neither democracy nor peace can be
taken for granted.” Moreover, he expressed the belief “that we have a sacred duty to teach our children to constantly and vigorously defend democracy, peace and human rights”, pointing out that “this is the legacy left to us by the inspiring politicians, men and women who created the common European institutions, which led to the political and economic interdependence of the member states of our Union, so that the possibility of war between its member states is de facto thwarted”.
Nektarios Nikolaides, Coordinator of the School-Ambassador Programme at the Office of the European Parliament in Cyprus, noted that this year the programme included 65 senior ambassadors (the teachers), 260 cadet ambassadors (the students), adding that over 470 actions were organised in schools, in which over 1700 people participated. He also said that 240 students and 45 teachers will participate in the Euroscola programme that will take place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Afterwards, students from 13 participating sc
hools briefly presented the actions they organised as part of the programme. This was followed by a short musical presentation by students of the Music School of Pancyprian High School.
The videos of the students who distinguished themselves in the Pan-Cypriot School Competition for the Production of Audiovisual Material for the European Elections were also projected. The 1st Prize was awarded to Agios Neophytos High School in Paphos, the 2nd Prize to Terra Santa College in Nicosia, and the 3rd Prize to Agios Georgios High School in Lakatamia, Nicosia. The awards were presented by the Minister of Education and the Head of the Office of the EP in Cyprus, who presented honorary plaques to all the participating schools.
Source: Cyprus News Agency