Teacher Exchange Program
Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Trade Union cooperates with other 5 teachers’ trade unions which are organized in different countries as part of a program called “Teacher Exchange Program”.
Turkish Cypriot society lived cut off from the world because of the Cyprus problem through long ages. Although the border gates’ are open yet this disunity decreased, our society continue to feel the impacts of the political problems on the island. Our trade union aims to promote the culture of peace, sharing and toleration which are the primary targets of education by this program it carries out. Furthermore, our trade union aims to help increasing the cultural awareness and fostering the world view of both teachers and the new generations raised via them.
“Teacher Exchange Program” started by the signed agreement with Poland’s “Solidarność” Teachers’ Trade Union in 2009 for the first time. Afterwards, the program widened through the agreements signed with Bulgaria’s “Podkrepa” Teachers’ Trade Union and Latvia’s “Lizda” Teachers’ Trade Union in 2012, Malta Union of Teachers “MUT” in 2018 and Hungary Teachers’ Trade Union “PSZ-SEHUN” in 2019.
The teacher groups from the aforesaid trade unions have the chance to know our trade union and our education system by visiting Cyprus every year within the program. Likewise, a group of teachers from the KTÖS members have the opportunity to develop themselves by visiting that countries every year. Accommodation, domestic transportation and food& drink are provided by the host country’s trade union, the flight expenditure is being shared between the trade union and the members. Applications are announced via SMS or trade union’s website, participants are determined by a draw between the applicants.
In visitations, the teachers are being welcomed by the host country’s trade union’s executives and the teachers obtain information about the country, the trade union and the education system from the executives. Likewise, the teachers are being transmitted to the schools from different levels in the country’s several districts and they have the opportunity to experience the country’s education provisions in place by observing the settings & by having chats with the teachers there. At the end of the visitations, the groups are writing reports and the reports are being shared via trade union’s website.