Cyprus is encouraged to further promote the teaching and study of the Armenian and Cypriot Maronite Arabic languages and culture, a Council of Europe report on minority languages said.
The sixth evaluation report on Cyprus assesses how previous recommendations have been followed up in the country and includes further suggestions.
Αmongst them are reinforcing the teaching of the languages, equipping educators with the necessary skills to teach them, promoting the study of Armenian at a university level and strengthening the presence of the two minority languages in broadcasting.
Armenian
The report welcomed the funding for the introduction of Armenian in upper secondary education but encourages the further training of teachers in order to be better equipped to teach the language.
Also, based on the positive experience of a similar revitalisation project started in 2013 in respect of Cypriot Maronite Arabic, the Committee of Experts expects that the CARMELA project, launched in December 2022, in collaboration with the speakers and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth to be completed by 30 November 2024, will be of “great importance for the preservation of the Armenian language and cultural heritage.”
Moreover, the University of Cyprus is encouraged to extend the offer of teaching modules on Armenian history in cooperation with speakers. In order to raise further awareness of the Armenian language and culture in Cyprus, the Committee of Experts invites the authorities to explore the possibility to present the results of both initiatives through electronic media in cooperation with the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the report says.
Cypriot Maronite Arabic
Regarding Cypriot Maronite Arabic, the committee said that less than three hours per week of teaching a minority language is not sufficient for the preservation and development of language skills, therefore it encourages authorities to increase the use of language in preschool education, which started in October 2022.
Moreover, the report notes that Cyprus has already taken steps towards further training teachers with Cypriot Maronite Arabic skills. Concluding, it invites authorities to report on how many of the participants who took the training in an Annual Summer Linguistic Camp have actually been enrolled as teachers of Cypriot Maronite Arabic, while presenting information on the impact of a new textbook and on the plans for further teacher training.
