House to vote on expansion of pre-primary education
The Cyprus Parliament is expected to vote next week on a bill to expand free and compulsory pre-primary education to include children aged four years old and above. This follows a letter from Education Minister Athena Michaelidou to the House Education committee, urging them to advance the matter. The committee, led by Diko MP Pavlos Mylonas, discussed the initiative, which aims to address issues within the education sector through collaboration between relevant ministries and deputy ministries. Support for the bill was expressed by MPs, highlighting its potential benefits for low-income families and the necessity of the reform. Concerns were raised about the need for proper consultation and the impact on nursery schools, with a meeting planned between the Education ministry, the Social welfare deputy ministry, and the private preschools association (Sipek) to discuss these issues. The government plans to gradually lower the age of acceptance into nursery schools to four years old over the next few years.
