Examples of Projects

Short Description/Objective 

The Project “Actions for School and Social Inclusion+ (DRA.S.E.+)” aims to upgrade the Education System of Cyprus, through the implementation of targeted educational Projects. The implementation of Project DRA.S.E.+ started in the school year 2021-22, having as its main purpose the mitigation of the negative consequences of the economic crisis in education. The Project is a useful tool to address contemporary problems and challenges (immigration flows, consequences of the pandemic) for the Education System in the coming years.

The Project aims to support students who:

• Are affected by the effects of the economic crisis and the pandemic or have an immigrant background
• Face problems of social exclusion or discontinuity in their lives due to forced relocation
• Are at high risk of becoming functionally illiterate or at high risk of dropping out of school.

The Project is applied to school units of all levels (Public Kindergartens, Primary Schools, Gymnasiums, Lyceums, Technical and Vocational Education and Training Schools), which have been selected on the basis of specific objective and measurable criteria, regardless of the geographical area in which they are located.

The Project covers approximately 27% of the student population in Cyprus.

In the school year 2021-2022, the Project is applied to 170 school units and around 28.000 students participate.

Among other things, the following actions are offered:

• Free supportive teaching and creative activity Projects for students and parents, in the morning and afternoon time
• Teaching the Greek language in the morning and afternoon time, for students and parents with an immigrant biography
• Additional psychosocial support services for students and parents, through the creation and operation of Information and Psychosocial Support Centers
• Supply of support/equipment and educational material to schools.

Expected Benefits/Results 

• Supporting vulnerable groups of the student population, who are particularly affected by the consequences of the economic crisis and the pandemic or who have an immigrant background and face difficulties due to the discontinuity of their educational course
• Direct support for students (and by extension families) who face problems of social exclusion or discontinuity in their lives due to forced displacement
• Supporting students who are at high risk of remaining functionally illiterate and graduating from school without the necessary skills for the modern knowledge society
• Prevention and treatment of problems of delinquency, school failure and early school leaving
• Reception and support of families with an immigrant background in matters of early learning of the Greek language and improvement of their social skills
• Strengthening of advisory services and professional guidance
• Creation of 950 jobs for young scientists
• Offering alternative education programmes to enrich the experiences of the students of the participating schools.