The 18th Primary School of Limassol – Ayios Antonios, is located within the borders of Limassol’s Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot district. It constitutes a peculiar and unique school in Cyprus, which is predominately characterized by multilingualism and multiculturalism. Its primary uniqueness lies in the fact that it hosts both Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot students (Turkish speaking Roma in their majority). Undoubtedly, the school renders itself particularly important, where the Principal’s and staff’s role is extremely crucial, as the specific school constitutes, perhaps the unique, diachronically concrete proof that the two communities, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, can co-exist, harmonically, on the island.
Furthermore, its population is consisted mostly by imigrants, due to the fact that is is considered a “low cost” area, where the rents are cheaper. Its 60 pupils are allocated in 5 classes – one of each grade of elementary school and one consists students from two different grades (Year 5 and 6). Many students come from the Turkish-Cypriot district and less from the Greek-Cypriot district, while a great amount of pupils’ population has one or both parents coming from diverse background e.g. Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Philippines, Georgia, Jordan, Syria, Pakistan etc. In addition, it hosts and supports students with special learning and educational needs. Therefore, it is a multilingual and multiculturism school facing a great challenge to accommodate different cultures, languages, traditions; address the different needs of these pupils and help them acquire basic skills in all the subjects of the curriculum.
The staff consists of 12 teachers 5 of which teach as class teachers having to teach all the areas of the curriculum; 3 part-time teachers teaching science, physical education, english language; 1 teacher teaching turkish language; 1 teacher to support students from diverse background in greek language; and 1 part-time special education teacher.
The school is thoroughly equipped with all necessary educational and technological tools and applications (computers, broadband INTERNET connection, video-projectors, smart boards etc). Furthermore, it is well equipped with a significant number of tablets and PCs and our teachers continuously provide motives and use innovative ways of teaching, to maintain pupils’ interest at high levels and achieve higher and better learning outcomes. During the Covid-19 pandemic our school has attempted to utilized asychronous (e.g school webpage, facebook group, classdojo etc) and sychronous (e.g Microsoft Teams, viber etc) learning and support our students in distance learning with great success.
In addition, several educational programs are systematically implemented at the school, in cooperation with local bodies and European associations, aiming towards the improvement of learning outcomes, the establishment of a harmonious cohabitation, the acceptance and endorsement of diversity, the reduction of school dropout rates and the prevention and handling of students’ delinquent behavior.
Contact Person: Nicolaos Papaevripides, Headteacher
Misiaouli & Kavazoglou, 3017
Limassol, Cyprus
t +357 25 692740 | f +357 25 692745
nikos8pap@gmail.com | http://dim-lemesos18-lem.schools.ac.cy