We condemn the statement of the Greek Cypriot Minister of Education claiming that we have prohibited the delivery of textbooks to be taught at primary and secondary schools in Dipkarpaz for the 2017-2018 academic year. The Greek Cypriot administration has, once again, resorted to lies in an attempt to slander the reputation of our authorities.
As a routine procedure, the textbooks to be used in these Greek Cypriot schools are conveyed each year to our Ministry via the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) in order to be screened for content. For the aforementioned period, 107 primary and 149 secondary school books in Greek; 23 English books and 3 French books were conveyed to our Ministry. As a result of the screening by our relevant departments, only 3 primary school and 5 secondary schools books were found objectionable in terms of their content. These books, which have content inciting enmity and contradictory to the notion of living in peace and tolerance, were accordingly sent back to the Greek Cypriot side via the UNFICYP, with the request that they be revised to include material which would entice sentiments of mutual respect among the two peoples.
Today, the said books were delivered, without any problem, to the primary and secondary schools in Dipkarpaz by the UNFICYP.
Against this background, it is shameful that the Greek Cypriot Minister has chosen to politically exploit even a matter which involves the education of his own community’s children by trying to create the impression that they are victimized at these schools.