Minister of Education Prodromos Prodromou announced on Friday the decision to open the country’s Primary schools and Gymnasiums on May 21, as Cyprus enters the second stage of a government strategy to relax measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Pupils in the 3rd grade of Lyceum and the 3rd year of Technical Schools who already returned, will continue with their studies, he added.

Prodromou was speaking after a 3.5 hour long meeting, held at the Presidential Palace under the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, in the presence of the Health Ministry’s advisory group and several Ministers.
 
According to the Minister, on Thursday, May 21, the first group of pupils will return to Primary schools and Gymnasiums and the second group will return on Friday. From Monday, May 25, onwards the two groups will alternate on a weekly basis.
 
The Minister of Education said that at the present stage, pre-primary education schools and kindergartens will not reopen, while e-learning will continue for pupils in the 1st and 2nd grade of Lyceum and the 1st and 2nd year of Technical Schools.
 
According to Prodromou, starting next week, diagnostic tests will intensify in primary and gymnasiums and will continue in Lyceums, in order for the scientific team to monitor the situations after schools reopen.
 
The Minister of Education said finally that decisions were based on current epidemiological data and the experience of other countries that already reopened schools, as well as on the results of diagnostic tests also among children.