Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

53 QUALITY EDUCATION SDG 4 | Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all EU RANK TREND BASIC EDUCATION Early Leavers from Education and Training 17 Underachievement in Reading 25 : Underachievement in Maths 25 : Underachievement in Science 25 : Participation in Early Childhood Education 13 TERTIARY EDUCATION Tertiary Educational Attainment 1 Employment Rates of Recent Graduates 18 ADULT LEARNING Adult Participation in Learning 20 Note: Data comes from the Statistical Service of Cyprus. EU rank presents the rank of Cyprus among the EU member states, for the most recent available year. Trend presents the 10-year trend from 2010-2019. Pos, Neg, Neg-Pos, and, Pos-Neg indicate a positive, a negative, a U-shape and an inverse U-shape trend, respectively. Green arrows indicate an improvement in the performance of Cyprus and red arrows indicate a decline in the performance of Cyprus. indicates a constant trend. : indicates that the trend is not calculated, because less than 8 years of data are available. Highlights – 2020 • School closures and the suspension of lifelong learning programmes due to the pandemic have negatively impacted the progress Cyprus was making towards achieving SDG4. • As part of the State Aid Schemes in 2018 and 2019 a total of €5.6m was provided for the funding of 131 programmes covering child care needs (Day Care Centers for preschool and school age children, Day care Centres for children with disabilities). • The Strategic Planning for the Equality of Men and Women (2018-2020) developed by the Committee for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth. • The National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of School Violence has been established (2018-2022). Covid Response • To reduce the learning disruption caused by the pandemic at all levels of education, Cyprus adopted remote learning practices. • The majority of Higher Education Institutions converted to online delivery methods. • The transition to distance learning was not as effective for students with special needs. • Suggested actions are considered to address the impact of Covid-19 on students’ emotional and cognitive engagement, as well as the gaps identified during school closures. Looking Ahead • The School Management System (SMS) is currently being designed after having secured EU funding. • Investments are made in the training and professional development of teachers at all levels of education. • Efforts are made to increase awareness on technical and vocational education programmes and break any associated gender stereotypes. • Digital transformation of school units with the aim of enhancing digital skills and skills related to STEM education.