97% of the approximately 700 textbook titles used at the three levels of public education have already been delivered to schools, according to the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth, dismissing as “baseless” the claim that the new school year is starting without textbooks.
In a statement issued in response to comments and media reports regarding the availability of textbooks at the start of the new school year, the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs states that all procedures for their procurement for the 2026–27 school year were completed in a timely manner and in accordance with established public procurement procedures.
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It adds, however, that a small number of contractors, who were awarded contracts to print the books, experienced delays in delivery, thereby failing, as he notes, to fulfill their contractual obligations and citing technical problems.
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According to the Ministry, it terminated the contracts and awarded the work to new contractors, while, where timely completion of printing was not possible, in collaboration with the Government Printing Office, part of the affected publications was printed in booklet form, so that instruction could continue uninterrupted until the books were finally received.
The Ministry of Education and Culture also notes that all textbooks used in Cyprus’s public schools are available in digital format on its website, while for certain subjects affected by delays, other editions that have already been received by the schools are also being used.
The Ministry states that the public statements made on the issue “contain an element of exaggeration and an unnecessary magnification of the problem.”
It notes that across the three levels of education, a total of approximately 700 textbook titles are in use, and that 97% have already been delivered to schools.
“Therefore, the claim that the school year is starting without textbooks is unfounded and is causing unnecessary anxiety among students, parents, and teachers,” it states.
The Ministry of Education also expresses “deep concern and anxiety” regarding the stance of certain teachers’ organizations, which, it argues, are turning issues that are already in the process of being resolved into crises, citing textbooks and air conditioners as examples.
At the same time, he continues, certain organizations “openly take a stance” against the implementation of legislation regarding teacher evaluations or against participating in important initiatives concerning, among other things, student health and safety.
The Ministry further states that the new school year marks a milestone for Cypriot education, as it marks the beginning of the implementation of changes and reforms that, as it notes, “undoubtedly enhance the quality” of learning and teaching, as well as daily school life on multiple levels.
In this step toward the modernization of public schools, the Ministry of Education expects that teachers as a whole and teachers’ unions will remain active partners in a reform process that benefits children, society, and the teachers themselves.
It adds that it continues unabated to seek meaningful dialogue with the teachers’ unions, “with full respect for teachers and their institutional role.”
“With clear political determination and based on the priority the Government has set for education,” the Ministry of Education, Research, and Religious Affairs calls on everyone, as it states, to act responsibly toward children.
It adds that “society expects all of us—and has stated this repeatedly—to leave behind practices that keep the education system stagnant and to work together toward a modern, safe, and high-quality public school.”
“This is our responsibility, and the Ministry of Education will continue to work with dedication toward this goal,” the statement concludes.
Source: CNA
