A recent report by the European Parliament’s Research Service documents serious restrictions faced by Greek Cypriot pupils at the school in the occupied village of Rizokarpaso, European Parliament member Loucas Fourlas said, describing the findings as an objective account of conditions on the ground.
Speaking in a Philenews podcast, Fourlas said the situation at the school has been the subject of sustained efforts over the past two years to draw attention at EU level. “We are talking about our children, the enclaved children at the school in Rizokarpaso,” he said, adding that the reality described to EU institutions had been “shocking even for European colleagues”.
According to Fourlas, only 15 pupils currently attend the school, where the educational process is repeatedly obstructed. “There are students who cannot be taught what they should be taught because their school is under occupation,” he said.
He said Turkish authorities routinely interfere with schooling, including preventing teachers from reaching the village and obstructing the delivery of educational material. “They even tear up the books sent by the Ministry of Education,” Fourlas said, adding that teachers are frequently barred from travelling to the occupied area to teach the children.
Fourlas said the pupils are effectively studying under constant pressure. “These students live under a regime of fear in Rizokarpaso,” he said.
He explained that, while a parliamentary mission to the village has been requested, the European Parliament’s Research Service was asked in the meantime to conduct an independent examination of the situation. “This report was not produced by a political group or by an MEP,” he said. “It was produced by the Parliament’s Research Service, and nobody can question its objectivity.”
Fourlas said the institutional nature of the report makes it a key tool for future action. “It is now in our hands as a tool whenever we want to bring this issue back onto the agenda,” he said, referring to its potential use in parliamentary resolutions and reports.
He added that efforts would continue to secure a European Parliament visit to Rizokarpaso to assess conditions directly.
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