Alpha School Claims to Teach Kids Twice as Fast. Many Don’t Make It.

© Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times

© Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times
The House education committee visited four schools in the Famagusta district on Friday to examine building problems, staffing shortages and infrastructure needs.
The delegation visited Liopetri’s first primary school, Deryneia’s second primary school, Deryneia’s second nursery school and the peace and freedom secondary school in Deryneia and Sotira.
Committee chairman and Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides said the visits aimed to assess conditions first-hand.
At Liopetri’s school, housed in a building dating from 1966, he said facilities were generally in good condition, with no prefabricated classrooms, overcrowding or language-related educational problems.
However, the school board lacked sufficient caretakers, while the absence of a shelter meant pupils could not comfortably spend breaks outdoors during winter or summer.
Savvides said the committee would seek additional staff for the school board and continue visiting other schools in Deryneia to identify further problems.
He also praised the school’s activities preserving local history for younger generations.
