Signing of bilateral Executive Program in the field of Education between Cyprus and Italy

The Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, with her counterpart, Minister of Education and Merit, Dr. Giuseppe Valditara signed the Executive Program in the field of Education between Cyprus and Italy. The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Education and Values in Rome on September 17, 2024. The program will enter into force between 2024 and 2028.

The signing of the agreement between the two Ministers aims to further strengthen the close cooperation that Cyprus and Italy share in the field of education.

The two Ministers, during a meeting which took place before the signing, discussed the state of play of educational reforms in primary and secondary education already underway in both Cyprus and Italy, the next steps for the exchange of good practices and experiences, the introduction of the Italian language in Technical-Vocational Education schools, and cooperation at European level in view of the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the EU (1st half of 2026).

This was followed by a meeting with Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Universities and Research. The two Ministers discussed developments regarding the reform of Higher Education in Cyprus, the enhancement of access to university studies in Italy, the scholarships offered by the Italian government to Cypriot students, the promotion of bilateral cooperation between universities, the development of bilateral comparative research based on data from international studies and assessment programs (e.g. PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS, etc.), as well as issues related to Higher Education in relation to the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the EU.

Before the Signing Ceremony, the Minister met with the Vice-Rector of the renowned University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Professor Giuseppe Ciccarone. This was followed by a visit to the Laboratory of Modern Greek Studies. It was originally established in 2019 with the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and was hosted by the Department of European, American and Intercultural Studies. The tour of the Laboratory was conducted by the head of the department, Professor Simone Cesani, together with Professor Christos Bintoudis, head of the Department of Modern Greek Studies. It was recently renamed the Laboratory of Modern Greek Studies “Myrsini Zorba”, in honor of the former Minister of Culture (2018-2019) and who bequeathed her library to the university before her death in 2023. The Laboratory of Modern Greek Studies “Myrsini Zorba” deals with the promotion of Greek language and literature between Italy, Greece and Cyprus.

(IP/AS)

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