Scandal in Cyprus: Schools replace "Father" and "Mother" with "Parent 1 and Parent 2"
In electronic forms, Cypriots were identified as a religious minority.
A scandal is brewing in Cyprus over the introduction of a new electronic school registration system (eDEA), where the traditional fields for "Father" and "Mother" have been replaced with "Parent 1" and "Parent 2," reports the Greek edition of UOJ.
The innovation has sparked widespread protests from parents, as this system will also be used in June for registering students entering the first grade of gymnasiums and lyceums.
"No one should be forced to transform from a father or mother into Parent 1 or Parent 2. Respect for diversity does not mean that we all have to turn into something else," said Loizos Constantinou, President of the Federation of Secondary Education Parents.
Notably, a similar incident occurred at the beginning of the school year when medical forms for students also used the terms "Parent 1" and "Parent 2." The forms were only corrected after numerous protests.
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, attempted to justify the situation by stating that "before any registration on the platform, the user is clearly identified as a father or mother."
Opposition parties sharply criticized the move. The National People's Front (ELAM) stated:
"Does the Ministry of Education truly understand the importance of the family institution in Cypriot society? Did they ask parents if they agreed to be called 'Parent 1' and 'Parent 2'? Such actions are unacceptable, and we condemn them."
In addition to the gender-related changes, other contentious issues were identified in the new system. For instance, Greek Cypriots were labeled as a "religious minority" (later corrected to "nationality"), and provisions were included for exemption from religion classes, sparking protests from the Church and the educational community.
Reportedly, the situation required the intervention of the Archbishop of Cyprus, who urged the Minister of Education to make the necessary changes. The Minister assured that the demands would be met.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Facebook and Instagram allowed users to refer to transgender people as mentally ill.
