Parents of minors engage in a daily race. After quickly dropping off their children at school in the morning, they continue with their own work, anticipating the ordeal of the afternoon hours.
Because, when the child finishes school, a new ordeal begins. It’s impossible to be in two places at the same time, at work and at home.
How will they pick up the child? Who will take them to tutoring? Where will they be occupied? Who will supervise them?
If you’re lucky, there might be a grandparent or another supportive environment you trust to take care of and keep them occupied.
Otherwise, you have to juggle back and forth and, at the same time, dig deep into your pockets.
One solution to the problem, allowing parents to complete their work without problems and prevent children from becoming latchkey kids, is to convert schools into all-day institutions.
This issue was raised a few days ago by the Minister of Education, who noted that since last year, the number of all-day Primary Schools has increased from 220 to 228 and all-day Secondary Schools from 2 to 5.
The goal, the Minister emphasized, is to further increase these numbers, and starting from September, to improve them as an institution, offering connection with morning school, assessment of lessons and educators, revised content, and innovative programs.
Surely, this is a step in the right direction, as it improves the quality of after-school care, developing skills in children.
However, the institution must become universal, and its duration should also be extended.
This issue was also raised yesterday by the AKEL MP, Christos Christofides, after the session of the Education Committee of the Parliament. They demanded, he said, to clarify in the operating regulations of the Primary Schools that all-day schools open at the beginning of the school year and close at the end.
Not as it is today, where they “start their operation in October or even November in some cases and close at the end of May”.
The same, he said, applies to summer schools.
“They should start immediately after the schools close and last until the end of July. We also insisted that children with disabilities attending summer school should have an escort with them during the summer months.” The Ministry of Education, according to Mr. Christofides, agreed to examine the issue.
Let’s hope that the Ministry will study and implement these changes promptly. It’s crucial for parents to have the support of the state.
New couples should not fear becoming parents or, worse, be forced to choose between becoming parents or remaining employed, either out of necessity or by choice.
