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With a view to improving the quality and efficiency of education and training in pre-primary, primary, secondary and vocational schools, and the promotion of social cohesion and lifelong learning, seven grant programmes, totalling €6m, have supported 107 projects since 2006, targeting schools and lifelong learning organisations.
These grant projects focus on improving child-centred learning practices, improving teaching capacity in line with EU and worldwide trends, fostering further learning, active citizenship and intercultural dialogue, and promoting joint projects between Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot schools in order to foster reconciliation between the two communities, as well as enhancing the labour market and employability through the promotion of lifelong learning and entrepreneurship skills.
Projects examples include improving teaching quality and efficiency in a range of subject areas; strengthening school strategic planning processes; integrating new teaching methodologies into pre-primary education (e.g. the Montessori and Orff methods); and modernising school biology, chemistry and physics laboratories. improving employability through trainings; enhancing lifelong learning opportunuties in the vocational and labour market; and enhancing the participation of individuals in society through social entrepreneurship.
Separate from the grant programmes, the European Union has also funded a capacity building project (€1.4 million) on the introduction of child/student centred methods and a supplies programme for vocational schools which included supplies for a printing workshop and an automotive workshop.
Concerning the development and promotion of effective vocational education and training systems, lifelong learning and active labour market measures, two projects (VETLAM I and VETLAM II) have been funded, aiming at the provision of an adequately skilled labour force within the Turkish Cypriot economy and improving the dialogue between education and the labour market.