BA (Hons) Degree in Primary Education

A four-year full-time course of study leading to the award of the BA (Hons) Degree in Primary Education.

Aims & Objectives of the course:
1. In developing the present BA degree in Primary Education the curriculum panel took into consideration important factors such as the guiding principles of the College, the traditions of Cyprus’ education system, socioeconomic realities, European Union values and technological and scientific advances.

The course is designed to offer students the following:

a) To prepare them to become good European citizens, to accept the need for continuous updating of knowledge and skills in a world of rapid change and to understand the new role of the teacher as leader and facilitator of learning. To make sure that the students understand that the teacher needs to be available to help children develop their reflective powers, their awareness for  development, and their creativity.

b) To help students:

• plan, manage, access, report and evaluate pupil learning;
•  understand learning theories and pedagogy;
• learn how to employ appropriate and meaningful teaching practices, strategies and approaches that can help facilitate pupil thinking, language, numeracy, aesthetics and manipulation skills;
• learn how to match task to pupil needs and to differentiate study programs in line with student abilities and gifts.

c) To facilitate their understanding of:

• the statutory framework and the principles that underlie the Cyprus Primary Education system;
• the curriculum and its constituent parts, curriculum planning, curriculum review and upgrading and cross curricular issues;
• the value of information technology in education;
• To help students appreciate the value of cooperating with practicing teachers in schools as a means of improving their classroom skills.

2. The aims of the curriculum are:
a) To help students:

• recognize the impact that primary education can have in fostering a broad set of common values (spiritual, moral, social, cultural, etc) and the influence that such values can have on the educational system;
• appreciate that education provides a route to equal opportunity and helps create democratic values that ultimately lead to a more productive economy.

b) To engender in pupils the need to:

• internalize the intellectual, civil and social events of the past;
• strengthen their internal personal abilities that can help them become more useful to society;
• understand that society has common (but also varying) values and that these need to be respected;
• establish accepted behavioural standards to enable them to function better in society;
• promote continuity and social coherence;
• promote public understanding; and
• to do things right and to understand that right behaviour is instrumental to happiness.

The course aims to assist the new primary school teacher adopt those characteristics that can help him/her understand reality better, be accepting of others, behave in a trusting manner, share feelings and thoughts and accept those of others, and understand the value of individuality and teamwork.

Course Duration
The period of study for full-time students is four academic years (or eight semesters) covering both core and elective subjects.  Students studying towards the BA (Honours) Degree in Education are required to take a minimum of 240 (ECTS) credits. Two hundred (200) ECTS must come from core subjects and forty (40) from electives.

Honours Degree
Upon graduation, each candidate should have:

• completed successfully all the prescribed course work of the examination syllabus;
• achieved the required minimum number of credits of prescribed course work by completing successfully all core and elective subjects as required by the program of studies.

As a general rule, all students must have

• completed successfully a minimum of 240 ECTS; and
• secured a G.P.A* of at least 2.00 on courses taken successfully during semester 5-8.