No childcare means no Greek lessons for some migrant mothers
State language courses bar parents from bringing children to class, leaving mothers without care options shut out — though evening schools already run supervised childcare.
Mothers enrolled in Greek-language courses at Cyprus's State Institutes of Further Education (KIE) have run into a wall: classrooms admit only registered adult students, so a parent with no one to watch her child cannot attend, as en.philenews reports. The rule, in force since 1991, applies to all KIE courses, not just language lessons.
Ministry official Leonidas Galazis, who heads the institutes, said the mother in one recent case was never told she could not study — only that her children could not come with her. He cited child-safety grounds, liability and insurance questions, and teachers' duties, which do not extend to supervising youngsters.
Some evening schools already handle this differently: the education ministry confirms that in certain cases a carer or kindergarten teacher watches children in a separate room while their parents are in class.
What it means for residents
The gap matters most for women on low incomes, single parents and anyone who cannot pay for childcare — the very people Greek lessons are meant to help integrate. Until a decision is taken, a parent's route into the system may depend on which institution's door she knocks on.
- Ask first. Before enrolling at a KIE centre, check with the specific school whether any supervised arrangement exists; evening schools are the likelier option.
- Raise it locally. Municipal Multipurpose Centres, which the Gender Equality Commissioner points to, may offer cover; a request to your municipality costs nothing.
- Watch for policy news. Any change would need a political decision by the education and other relevant ministries, so the rules will not shift overnight.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
