The introduction of the Technical High School will improve the attractiveness of technical and vocational education and, in the long term, will help address the skills mismatch observed in the labor market, said the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, in her statements after today's meeting of the Council of Ministers.
According to the Minister, the Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Minister of Education and Training to introduce the institution of the Technical High School into the educational system, adding that in this way "another announcement from the government program is being implemented in the field of education."
As he noted, the development and improvement of technical and vocational education and training is an important priority of the Government and is referred to as an emblematic action of the Ministry for 2025.
He added that Cyprus has one of the lowest participation rates of high school graduates in technical and vocational education in Europe, while the interconnection of education with the labor market emerges as one of the greatest challenges the country will face in the coming years.
"The introduction of the Technical High School will improve the attractiveness of technical and vocational education and, in the long term, will help address the skills mismatch observed in the labor market," he then noted, adding that it concerns all children, the future citizens of the country, regardless of the choices they make in high school or technical school.
He added that the pilot introduction of the institution will be implemented for the first time during the 2025-26 school year in two high schools, one in Nicosia and one in Limassol, which are selected based on specific criteria, such as location, accessibility and mainly the infrastructure of the schools, while he also mentioned that the Technical High School's timetable will include courses in subjects where the mismatch in the labor market is a given, such as mechanical science, design, arts and tourism studies, with the possibility of adjusting the directions according to demand.
He also said that the teaching methodology will include practical teaching methods in specially equipped laboratories, use of materials by children, application to real-world scenarios, role-playing and problem solving, while the pilot implementation will be evaluated with the participation of all those involved, so that the expansion can be done in a documented manner.
"Protocols were activated" with the sending of threatening messages
When asked if the Ministry is concerned about the recent sending of threatening messages to schools, Ms. Michaelidou said that the incident is of particular concern because the safety of children is "above all else."
He then described as very positive the fact that the updated protocols were activated, which, as he said, had been prepared since last year with the participation of the Police, the Fire Department and specialists, while the training of teaching staff and school directors had also been completed, and for this reason there were no particular issues this year.
He added that from the very beginning, the Ministry contacted the Police, who confirmed that it was the same message from the same senders that was being sent to many European countries, and for this reason the indication of danger was very low from the beginning and thus no other actions were taken, such as informing parents.
"Nevertheless, we are always vigilant about these issues, we need constant communication with experts and constant updating of our protocols," he concluded.
Source: KYPE
