We are talking about students for whom Greek is not their native language. These results were reached by experts from the Center for Educational Research and Evaluation at the Pedagogical Institute, which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Education.
The key objective of the study was to test the level of Greek language proficiency among non-native speakers of Greek. As a rule, these are students with a migration background.
In the 2023-2024 school year, the vast majority of students, 91.5%, had proficiency levels below the required intermediate level. They were sent to courses to study Greek.
Only 8.5% of students for whom Greek is not their native language had the required minimum level of proficiency.
The study surveyed a total of 3,525 students from government primary schools.
The researchers also examined the performance of the Greek course based on the responses of 2,070 students who took extra classes. 46% had mastered the required intermediate level, 18% were at the entry level, and 35% had acquired basic skills.
“Based on the results, 91.5% of children will be required to attend classes to study Greek as a foreign language during the 2024-2025 school year. Therefore, the necessary measures are being taken to staff schools with appropriate teaching staff,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement.
The study also took educational and sociodemographic variables into account to determine how they contribute to successful Greek acquisition. Three indicators had a positive effect on success in language acquisition:
– being born in Cyprus; – having at least one parent/guardian in the family who speaks Greek; – attending primary school from at least fourth grade.
The text was prepared based on materials from Cyprus Mail.
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