A measure that has been applied in recent years in primary schools in Greece and according to reports in the Greek press, has excited parents, finds its copy in Cyprus through the "Guide to a smooth transition from kindergarten to primary school".
The measure concerns the children who go to primary school for the first time, ie the "first-timers", to integrate smoothly in their new environment and for this purpose in Greece the practice of "adoption" of a child who goes to the first grade of primary school from a child going to the sixth.
The "sixth" undertakes to protect the "firstborn", to guide and help it throughout the year, while this practice is also used as a shield against school bullying.
In Cyprus, according to the Minister of Education, a similar measure has been introduced in the New Curricula, only that instead of being called "adoption", it listens to the term "the friend".
Specifically, the Minister of Education, Prodromos Prodromou, explains that an Intra-Departmental Committee has been set up in the Department of Primary Education, which deals with both the smooth transition of children from kindergarten to primary school, and the smooth transition of children from primary to high school.
In this context and on the initiative of the "Intra-Department Committee for the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School", the Ministry of Education proceeded to the publication of a "Guide for the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School".
It is essentially an intervention program in the standards of the one published in 2016 by the Pedagogical Institute and the Curriculum Development Service on the subject of the Smooth Transition from Elementary to High School.
In this cycle of activities the following are proposed:
1. Establishment of a "Coordinating Committee for the Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School".
2. Exchange of visits of first grade teachers and kindergarten teachers and b) monitoring and discussion between teachers and kindergarten teachers.
3. Visit of the children of the first grade to the kindergarten.
4. Visit of kindergarten children to the primary school.
5. Travel suitcase in kindergarten.
6. Participation in joint activities and events.
7. Meeting of the parents of the kindergarten in the primary school for acquaintance and information.
8. Open Day in primary school for children and parents of the kindergarten.
In addition to the above as analyzed in the Guide, teachers are encouraged to implement any other activities decided by their steering committee.
During the visit of the children of the Primary School to the kindergarten and the kindergarten to the Primary School there is a suggestion in the Guide for the implementation of the institution "The friend", where each child of the kindergarten has respectively a child of the Primary School as his friend to welcome him and guide him.
Through the presentation of the Guide to teachers and the exchange of good practices for a smooth transition from kindergarten to primary school, the establishment of the institution "Friend" is largely done with an older student who has the responsibility of protecting and guiding the youngest who leads the first class.
Furthermore, the Minister of Education and answering a parliamentary question of the MP of Solidarity, Michalis Giorgallas, states that in the New Curricula the equal integration of Preschool Education is attempted in the unified planning of education, the creation of favorable conditions for the elimination of anxiety and stress. in relation to the elementary school curriculum and the bridging of the discontinuity of the curricula between kindergarten and elementary school.
Source: Reporter