TCC Press Review 13 Sept 2021

Front Page Headlines

Yenidüzen

Picture of the crisis

The price of everything from bread to tomatoes, hellim (halloumi) to bottled gas has gone up but salaries have remained the same. The prices of basic goods and commodities have seen repeated hikes over the past year, but the public’s purchasing power has eroded. The failure to determine the new minimum wage has been another major reason for the financial crisis people are experiencing.

  • The ₺10 (€1) PCR queue that extended for metersThe Beyarmudu (Pergamos) municipality ignored the Council of Minister’s decision and charged the public for the service fee.

Kıbrıs

Time for face-to-face education

Education, which has been carried out online much of the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, is returning to classrooms. The primary schools are reopening today, secondary and vocational schools tomorrow.

  • Mandatory AdaPass (safe pass) to enter into force on September 27 – Health Minister Ünal Üstel announced the decision for the AdaPass (safe pass), which will allow people’s vaccination and test status, has been extended.
  • Testing queues ahead of the school year – The 2021-2022 education year will start today but long queues formed in front of testing centres yesterday due to the requirement for students and families to present negative PCR tests.

Havadis

Both joy and fear

School bells will ring after a long period and finally, face-to-face education is to start. There are serious concerns due to the increase in the number of cases and inadequate infrastructure at schools.

  • We are far behind in vaccination – Health Minister Ünal Üstel announced the latest vaccination coverage for both single and double doses. Only 202,846 (53.10 per cent) received the two doses, which provides protection.
  • Dark stain in history – 650,000 people were arrested, 50,000 executed. Dozens of thousands fled abroad. 30,000 people were fired from their jobs. Democracy was shelved, enforcing a retrogressive constitution.

Diyalog

Like a joke

MPs do not believe the claim that vaccines reduce sexual potency. The country’s experienced politicians Ali Pilli, Erkut Şahali, Hasan Taçoy, Fikri Toros, Özdemir Berova and Zeki Çeler who spoke to Diyalog told the public not to pay heed to claims that the vaccine reduced potency. The MPs said that everyone should get vaccinated to stay alive and called on those who haven’t received the jab yet to get vaccinated.

  • Everyone is readyOver 60,000 primary and kindergarten students in the south will be starting classes today.

Avrupa

Fascist junta condemned

Kenan Evren and his accomplices were among those bombarded on social media on the 41st anniversary of the September 12, 1980, fascist coup in Turkey. The September 12, 1980 fascism has left deep scars within our community as it did in Turkey. It is possible to write freely about what had been done then…However, it is not possible to write about today’s fascist regime… Will it be possible to write about what’s happening today 40 years later?

Main News

Students resume face-to-face education after months

Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Human Rights

OVERVIEW

The new education year at primary schools in the north started on Monday amid concerns due to high daily figures, crowded classrooms and insufficient vaccine coverage.

Secondary schools will start classes. It is the first time schools are physically opening since they shut down in December 2020. There are nearly 50,000 students and 5800 teachers returning to the classroom. The Turkish Cypriot health and education ministries are determined to keep the schools open. The state schools will launch the new school year on a rotational basis.

Speaking to Turkish Cypriot news agency TAK, Health Minister Ünal Üstel said each school will have a coronavirus board to monitor the students and teachers.

“Should the board suspect any infection, they will immediately contact the health ministry for further action and take steps to contain the spread of the virus,” Üstel said. He also added that the same coronavirus measures for public transport are to be implemented on school buses.

Noting that the PCR/antigen testing scheme for teachers and genitors have also been identified, Üstel said their tests will be monitored through the AdaPass (safe pass) system. Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) on Sunday reiterated its proposals for sustainable face-to-face education.

“Our teachers’ determination and sacrifices will minimize the possible problems at schools. Nonetheless, the education ministry has financial responsibilities and the parents need to comply with the directives issued on coronavirus,” the trade union said in a statement.

KTÖS pointed out that neither the infrastructure at schools nor the number of school buses is enough to ensure social distancing of the students at the schools. The union also asked the education ministry to swiftly supply the schools with the necessary hygiene materials and to employ the necessary staff to fight against the pandemic.

KTÖS concluded by urging the education ministry to also start involving the Parents-Teachers’ Associations in the fight against the pandemic while increasing the number of tests and vaccination centres.

Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) in the meantime, urged the education ministry to revise its decision on rotational education. Education Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu had announced on Friday that the primary schools will have rotational education and classes were shortened by five minutes. Amcaoğlu, noting that KTÖS agreed in implementing the new model and added that an additional hour of classes was added to the schedule. 

KTOEÖS however objected to the rotational system, urging the education ministry to consider a ‘double curriculum’ system ensuring the students attending school for five consecutive days.

The ‘double curriculum’ model envisages the population at school to be divided into two and while some students attend the school in the morning, the rest in the afternoon. KTOEÖS also pointed out the sources of available funds for the education ministry to cover the additional costs in paying the teachers for the afternoon sessions.


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