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Training of Trainers:

Building Success in your Primary Education Classroom

Remarks by Ambassador Michael Klosson

Nicosia Fulbright Center

September 10, 2004

I am pleased to be here today to thank you all for your hard work this week.  Let me express my appreciation to the American trainers, Dr. Beverly and Dr. Hughes, who have come from James Madison University in Virginia. 

Let me also congratulate those of you who have completed this workshop and will be going out into the community to train your peers.  My brother is a teacher in this field, so I know how challenging, but also how rewarding, your work can be.

Your commitment to the youth of Cyprus -- to improving the opportunities for each and every student to excel, regardless of background, learning style, or disability -- is commendable.  The United States is proud to be able to put these workshops together for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot experts in education.  That said, it is your energy and determination – not our support – that will ultimately strengthen your classrooms, your schools, the educational system and your community.

Let me widen the lens for just a moment and put this workshop into a broader context.  Why, some of you might ask, are American taxpayers investing in improved education on this small island?  The short answer is: we remain committed to the Annan Plan settlement of the Cyprus problem and champion the right of all of people on this island to live in peace with dignity, equality and tolerance.

As you know, we have been through the most intensive UN effort in history to solve the Cyprus problem.  Unfortunately, that effort did not succeed, and the situation is at a stalemate.  We are looking to those who did not embrace the opportunity presented by the Annan Plan to reflect on how the settlement might feasibly be achieved.  As time passes, the prospects for a settlement do not improve.  But the newfound and palpable sense of security that comes from being a formal member of the European family, a union which Turkey also seeks to join, may ease concerns Greek Cypriots voiced this past April.

Under these circumstances, when majorities on both sides voiced such diametrically opposed views, it is all the more important for leaders in both communities to demonstrate in concrete ways that they can and want to work successfully together.  Cooperation in addressing common problems improves the well being of both communities and can give confidence that settlement plans will not be just words on paper.  Just as we support removing the unnecessary restrictions and barriers that have had the effect of isolating Turkish Cypriots from the international community, we support efforts to remove the myths, stereotypes and other kinds of barriers that isolate the two communities from one another.   

On the island, the way forward is to expand, not restrict, contact between the two communities.  We very much welcome the over four million crossings of the buffer zone since April 2003 as well as the initiatives on the part of individuals, NGOs and some political parties to reach across the divide to engage the other side.   For our part, we continue to work to create opportunities for practical cooperation in health, the arts, education, academic exchange, community development, infrastructure improvements and historical preservation.  Even if things at the leadership level are stalemated with no clear way forward, there is much individuals and groups can and should do to relearn habits of cooperation that will help any future settlement more quickly take effect.

You have spent a week together in this workshop and shared ideas as professionals working in the same field.  I hope and encourage you to continue the relationships formed here when you return to your jobs.  Stay in touch, keep in contact and use each other as resources.  Just as the discussion this week has enriched your professional outlook, I am confident such continued dialogue on the many issues you face in common can only enhance your contribution to the island’s youth.

I look forward to hearing about your training successes when Dr. Beverly returns to Cyprus this November.  In the meantime, I would like to hear today how the training went this week.  We are interested in any suggestions you might have to fine tune this program to maximize its impact.