‘Don’t touch our history books’
By Paul Malaos

COALITION partners DIKO yesterday lashed out at government plans to foster bicommunal reconciliation in schools, outlined in a circular from Education Minister Andreas Demetriou.

The circular, which was presented to teachers on Monday, proposes action to help the unification of the people of Cyprus through the application of new teaching schemes, to be applied during the school year.

Among the aims proposed by the Ministry of Education are changes to the history curriculum currently taught in schools, and the development of reciprocal respect between Greek and Turkish Cypriots with the aim of delivering Cyprus from occupation.

At a news conference yesterday, deputy president of DIKO Giorgos Kolokasides said the Ministry’s initiative gave his party serious reason to be concerned.

“The impression given by the Minister’s circular is that our education system so far has been chauvinistic,” said Kolokasides, “and the suggestion that we should rewrite our history books causes us to doubt the Ministry’s priorities.”

Kolokasides said the circular had failed to address serious issues in the education system, focusing instead mainly on issues “which have not been a problem for us in the past”.

His outrage was echoed by DISY deputy Andreas Themistocleous, who described the aims set out in the Ministry’s circular as the “self-castration of our Hellenic heritage”.

“The Minister must realise that he is not the Minister of Education for the occupied areas,” said Themistocleous. “It is important we recognise that if there is to be a solution to the Cyprus problem, the first step towards it will be the mutual and absolute respect of national identities, and this must honored by both sides.”

DIKO deputy Athina Kyriakidou said supporting the initiative of Greek and Turkish Cypriot unity in schools was constructive, but could not become a reality with the presence of the Turkish regime.

“We are content to promote the idea of peaceful coexistence,” said Kyriakidou, “but must take care that all the sacrifices are not made by us.”

Takis Hadjigeorgiou of AKEL hit back at the critics, saying Demetriou deserved to be applauded for his actions, in what he described as a display of courage and true Greek spirit.

In response to DIKO’s accusations that the Ministry of Education intended to distort or twist the history curriculum, Hadjigeorgiou answered: “Our intention is to present history as it took place, and not avoid issues we have steered clear from until now.”

Hadjigeorgiou went on to say that there were parts of history that were often overlooked, such as the mutual suffering of Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the times when both sides had united to fight alongside each other for a common cause.

“We have an obligation towards the new generation to give them the truth,” said Hadjigeorgiou, insisting it was imperative “that we teach the youth of Cyprus that we were not always a divided state, and are working under extremely difficult conditions to find a solution to unite us once more”.

The Education Minister himself expressed surprise at the criticisms, saying it was important to teach today’s youth a rounded, balanced view of the island’s history.

Demetriou said history school books had remained virtually unchanged since 1950 and that the new approach to the subject would be drawn up a by number of experts with different approaches to provide historical truth and accuracy.

Nevertheless, the minister said the discussions under way were fruitful and indicated that society was ready to discuss its reorientation towards a modern, European community capable of discussing the problems of its past and how to solve them in the best possible way.

He added that by changing the approach to teaching, “we would be sending the Turkish Cypriot community a very powerful, political message that we were ready to co-operate and that an end to the occupation was possible”.


Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

Darn greek leftists!

Just out of curiosity what do history books in the north write about Cyprus history. For example, do they include the first Greek settlements on the island 3,600 years ago?

Their just as balanced as the greek cypriot history books are. I didnt study at a turkish school though so judging by what my 16 year old cousin comes home and tells me he learnt its mainly ottoman history like in turkey and the foundation of the turkish state after 21.

From a past thread I already created:

From another thread which I had ghost posted through Alepou as collaborator: Turkish Cypriot Educational System in Primary School

Ignore what Turkkan directly says since he is a constant source of intentional disinfo and a repeater of the disingenous lies of the Turkish state and TRNC. On the otherhand almost everything he says(as a totality) is meant to help reach "national goals" by bolstering the necessary climate of lies to push to the TRNC/Turkey agenda over these national goals. According to the sources I presented we can conclude that most Turks are expected to act as "soldiers" for national issues by the Turkish state; in the context of engaging in dialogue with Greeks this would extend to spreading disinfo and the various sundry tactics seen on this forum.

History as it took place is that there is a "Turkish mentality" that TRNC education tries to spread. With the requisite historic knowledge you can know that mentality is for Turks to live as hakim(dominant) over other nations, which includes obviously Greek Cypriots or even leftist losers who consider themselves "Cypriot Cypriots".

Obviously these people in DIKO have alot better understanding of the issues, unlike AKEL who are basing their worldview on leftist theories of how Turkish Cypriots act instead of how they really act on the ground. Recently on this forum in another thread we learned that 1,000 Turkish Cypriots used a border crossing which the ROC had open and the TRNC side did not reciporcate to celebrate the napalming of Greek Cypriots. Obviously the Turkish Cypriot community has alot worse intentions than self proclaimed leftist do-gooders and "progressives" allow themselves to recognize.

....just to mention that even the Greek books that are sent to our enclave greek children/students at occupied Rizokarpaso are sensored by the occupation regime. Regarding history books, if there is something they do not like they just remove the pages.
...but then again history does not exist only in history books or cannot be learned only by history books.

Τα δύο δημοτικά σχολεία που υπολειτουργούσαν. Το ένα στο Ριζοκάρπασο, με τρείς δασκάλους και με 35 σήμερα παιδιά. Το άλλο στην Αγία Τριάδα Γιαλούσας μετά την εκδίωξη της δασκάλας, Ελένης Φωκά, έπαψε να λειτουργεί με αποτέλεσμα τα παιδιά εκεί να μένουν χωρίς δάσκαλο. Πλείστες είναι οι ελλείψεις που αντιμετωπίζουν. Βιβλία τα οποία αποστέλλονται από το κυπριακό κράτος, κατακρατούνται για πολύ καιρό από τους Τούρκους ή χάνονται μυστηριωδώς. Οι δασκάλοι καταπιέζονται και δεν τους επιτρέπεται να διδάσκουν την ελληνική ιστορία και να επισκέπτονται όποτε είναι ανάγκη τις ελεύθερες περιοχές. Όσοι γονείς, τα παιδιά τους τελειώσουν αυτά τα κρυφά σχολειά, αναγκάζονται να εγκαταλείψουν τα χωριά τους για να μπορέσουν τα παιδιά τους να έχουν γυμνασιακή μόρφωση. Μερικοί, ίσως πιο τολμηροί, στέλνουν μόνα τους τα παιδιά τους στις ελεύθερες περιοχές και παραμένουν εκεί για να φιλάνε τις Θερμοπύλες. Πολλοί πάλιν, εγκατέλειψαν τα σπίτια τους γιατί χρειάζονταν ιατροφαρμακευτική περίθαλψη, κάτι που στις κατεχόμενες περιοχές είναι είδος πολυτέλειας.
http://www.kypros.org/Occupied_Cyprus/Rizokarpaso/

So you actually want us to teach your propaganda on our side?

So what exactly is your definition of propaganda, Turkkan?

In the early 90’s there was a Turkish restaurant in Melb I used to frequent now and again owned by a TC. It had a big map of Cyprus that included a historical time chart. But according to it the island’s history began with Richard the Lionhearted, followed by the Venetian, Ottoman and British periods. There was no mention of the island’s Greek history. When I first saw it I just shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself, “Well, it’s to be expected.” It didn’t offend me in anyway, since I did go back, but it showed me that the TC’s are allergic to mentioning of the word "Greek" up north re history. It’s actually an extension of what’s happening in the mainland.

It’s been posted in here before, that as long as the GC’s express their Hellenism they “alienate the TC’s” and there should be a permanent partition. YET it is fully acceptable— no! – indeed it is set in stone that the TC’s shall always express their Turkishness, as is seen on the name and flag.

Why don’t you take the first step, change the name of the TRNC to the RNC, as well as the flag. But you’re trying to hold the moral ground with hypocrisy. When it comes to censorship you are more proficient at it. When it comes to history you are more in denial. And you demand the GC’s rewrite the history of Cyprus, which you accuse of being propaganda?

This accusation of “Greek propaganda” is just a deflection from your own propaganda.

POT KETTLE BLACK, mate.

I wasn't educated in Turkish schools either, but by looking at the capacity most Turks and Greeks have for independent decision making and thought processes after emerging from their obsessively national-minded schooling systems I think both systems need a thorough re-vamping.

I'm very happy the Greek side of Cyprus has a Communist Chap at the helm.

Was that restaurant later shut down for public health reasons?

I have an illegal version of Call of Duty 4 mate but my multiplayer wont work, help

It was Alasya 2 further down the road.

And you demand the GC’s rewrite the history of Cyprus, which you accuse of being propaganda?

This accusation of “Greek propaganda” is just a deflection from your own propaganda.


First i dont demand or expect anything. Im just an observer that finds all this funny. The new greek cypriot goverment has on its own decided that they need to change their history books, not because the turkish cypriot side asked it to. Second, you show me one place on this thread where i wrote there was no propaganda in our textbooks. Its just highly ridiculous to actually beleive for one second we are going to allow the greek history text books to be used in the north. Eitherway, i couldnt care less what they teach. Them arguing about it is cool though.

Rafaella posted how GC history books were banned and a teacher expelled from the Greek enclaves in the north. And your response was:

At least admit it’s a purely political reason and not some attempt to protect your children from “Greek propaganda”. Point being is don’t be so eager to insinuate that one side does.

And also, more so for others on your side, let's give this tactic a rest of taking a swipe at the other side and then using the excuse "I was just joking, far out".

opti, dont you see how absurd it would be for the turkish side to allow textbooks that teach the events from 55 to 74 from the greek perspective to be taught in the north? Just imagine there was a turkish school in the south of the island, something the greek cypriots has consistently refused to build even though in larnaca there is a significant population that would benefit from such a school. Furthermore imagine the ROC accepting that the history books those turkish kids would use were the ones made in the north. No government would accept such a thing, so why should we? Ofcourse the ROC would not be able to use the same history textbooks they currently use in those schools either given what the turkish parents will say once they read about their apparent blood thirstiness.