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In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in Cyprus introduced a ‘new’ national curriculum for all public schools of the Cypriot republic. The overarching purpose of this study is to examine how the ongoing educational reform in Cyprus could set a different ideological framework, within which intercultural education may be developed and implemented. To this end, it provides a number of important insights into the intercultural dimension of the ‘new’ national curriculum by exploring the formal and the ideological levels of the curriculum. More specifically, it indicates the ways in which the ideological curriculum has been formed by the complex and often counteractive discourses of monoculturalism, multiculturalism and interculturalism due to the socio‐historical context of Cyprus. The conclusions of this study assert that further research should be conducted to examine the implications pertaining to teachers’ practice and student learning with regard to intercultural education.

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The new Curricula of Cyprus aspire to deliver a new ethos in teaching and learning that promotes the notion of ‘the humane and democratic school' and emphasises the right of every child to succeed. In this context, the new Modern Greek language curriculum in Cyprus has been moulded upon the notion of Critical Literacy (CL). CL is neither an instructional strategy nor a lesson plan. It is a philosophical belief committed to a different worldview. As such, CL requires people%s acceptance. Not just students but also teachers must first learn, understand and embrace the notion before applying its principles to their practice. This can only be done through a process of transformative leadership enabling teachers to become transformative leaders themselves. Has this axiom been taken into consideration in the case of Cyprus? Do teachers in Cyprus learn about CL in a process of transformative leadership? This article will attempt to answer these questions utilising the testimonies of Sandra, a primary school teacher who attended the seminars and workshops organised for training teachers to use the new language curriculum.