Public schools across Cyprus will officially teach and commemorate the genocide of the Pontic Greeks after the subject was formally integrated into the country’s education system, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou announced on Monday.
According to cyprus-mail.com, speaking at a remembrance event at Ayios Ioannis Chrysostomos high school in Lakatamia, Michaelidou said Cyprus considers the preservation of historical memory a national priority.
“In the schools of Cyprus, this has become a legislative act,” she said.
“We have already passed through parliament to have a specific Remembrance Day, but also during the school year our schools will commemorate and teach issues related to the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus.”
Michaelidou said history education helps students better understand key aspects of Hellenism while developing awareness as active citizens.
“We live in a divided homeland, you can draw your conclusions from today’s day of remembrance,” she remarked.
The ceremony concluded with theatrical and musical performances by students featuring traditional songs from both Pontus and Cyprus.
The Pontic Greek genocide refers to the persecution, deportation and mass killings of Pontic Greeks in the Pontus region of Anatolia between 1914 and 1923. Historians estimate around 350,000 Pontic Greeks died through massacres, starvation and forced marches carried out during and after World War I.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
