Cyprus

Abstract

In 1959, after the London and Zurich Agreements, Cyprus became an independent state. The provisions of the agreements placed education under two parallel Communal Chambers, one for the Greek community and one for the Turkish community. The Greek community aimed at strengthening the cultural and emotional links with Greece. A new curriculum for the public schools was developed similar to the Greek schools’ curriculum, and also, the Teachers’ Training College was modeled after the pedagogical academies of Greece. In 1963, violence broke out between the Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. As a result of the disturbances, the parallel system of the two Communal Chambers was abolished, and the two communities took steps toward separation. Following the separation in 1965, all the administrative functions of the Greek Communal Chamber were transferred by law to the Ministry of Education (since 1994, Ministry of Education and Culture, MOEC). It is now responsible for all Greek-Cypriot schools and for the schools of religious groups, which aligned themselves with the Greek-Cypriot community.