The enrollment of students in schools, the delivery of grades and the communication of teachers with parents will be done in the future electronically, through a program implemented by the Ministry of Education and Culture, utilizing European funds. At the same time, internet access for general and technical secondary schools is being promoted.
The integration of e-government in Cypriot education and the provision of the Internet are just two of the six co-financed projects carried out by the European Fund Management Unit of the Ministry of Education, amounting to € 9 million and € 3,5 million respectively. The total budget for the six projects exceeds € 40m, according to Education Minister Costas Kadis on Friday.
He spoke in the morning during a press conference at the Ministry of Education, presenting the co-financed projects of the current programming period, 2014-2020. Specifically, Mr. Kadis said that the European Fund Management Unit of the Ministry secured four projects from the European Social Fund (ECB), through which the amount of € 36.650.000 is available.
Funding was also provided for two other projects, for the first time by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which concern e-government in Cypriot education and the wired cabling and wireless networking of secondary schools.
According to the Minister of Education, the projects ensure social welfare, financially support the weakest groups of the population, promote the acquisition of specialized knowledge and skills and facilitate the mobility of young people in the labor market, while helping to address the risk of social marginalization and exclusion.
Mr Kadis said that in addition to the six programs, the Ministry of Education has also secured significant resources through competitive EU programs, which cover additional priority areas.
"European programs and European resources are a very important issue for the Ministry of Education and Culture," Kadis said, adding that European funding should be used to meet important needs.
How e-government will work in schools
Asked about the provisions of the program, Costas Kadis said that "the Ministry of Education and Culture could not be left out of the wider effort made by the Government for e-government in all areas."
Through the use of European resources, he continued, we are introducing e-government in the whole range of activities of our schools.
According to Mr. Kadis, all school procedures are digitized, such as communication with parents and students, student enrollment in schools, delivery of grades and recording of teachers' activities. "So everything is digitized and in this way significant resources are saved" and time, he noted.
For his part, Pantelis Pantelis, Head of the Information and Communication Technologies Unit, said that this is a complete electronic information management system and process automation.
The purpose of the system is to support all stakeholders, from the Ministry of Education to schools, school tax authorities and parents, he added.
Costas Hambiaouris, Head of the European Fund Management Unit, explained that this is a central computer system, which is based on internet technologies and is accessible from mobile phones, tablets and computers.
As he said, the project will reduce time-consuming procedures, while it is considered an integral part of the reconstruction of the Ministry of Education. The project has been implemented since last November, with the first step being the collection of information, which has been undertaken by TEPAK.
Regarding the second program, the Minister said that the possibility will be provided for access to modern technologies and internet services within the school units.
During the presentation it was mentioned that wired networking in secondary schools currently amounts to 80% and it is expected that all schools will be covered by this program. At the same time, it was clarified that access to the Internet does not concern primary schools, as this could negatively affect students.
Mr. Hambiaouris made a detailed presentation of all the co-financed programs, which concern the actions of school and social integration, the improvement of the quality, the attractiveness and the efficiency of the vocational education and training of Cyprus. He also referred to the projects for the support services of counseling and vocational education for people aged 15-24 who do not work or participate in any education or training program, as well as the establishment of mechanisms for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.
Finally, he mentioned that the absorption of funds during the previous programming period, 2007-2013, amounted to more than 97%, higher than any other Ministry, with the completion of six projects, with a total budget of over € 32 million.
Source: KYPE