A definitive breakdown in the education sector seems inevitable, with teachers now just one step away from taking drastic strike action that is likely to affect the entire school yearyear.
POED has already unanimously decided to take action, with the other teachers’ organizations set to follow suit, provided that the Ministry of Education sticks to its intention to move forward with the bill on the new appointment system.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“Unfortunately, we will be forced to take action; at least as far as POED is concerned, this was decided unanimously. A meeting was also held with the other teachers’ unions, where it was agreed that we would take action. These measures will range from strikes to other actions that will last the entire year, unfortunately. “There is still time for the Ministry of Education to reconsider,” said POED Secretary-General Haris Charalambous, speaking on the Alpha Kalimera program.
Mr. Charalambous said that what teachers have been experiencing lately with this bill “is unprecedented,” as for “the first time in the history of the Republic of Cyprus, the government and the Ministry of Education are proposing the dismissal of its own teachers who are currently working.”
Continuing, the POED Secretary-General stated that “the Minister of Education has a knack for convincing people with claims that do not hold true in reality” and that “the truth is quite different.” “The Minister comes out and says she granted 9 out of the 10 demands made by the teachers’ organizations and cannot grant any more. This isn’t a matter of give-and-take. We’re talking about people’s jobs and their future,” Mr. Charalambous emphasized.
“The first thing the Ministry of Education should have done was to protect its teachers, rather than propose a bill to lay off more than 1,000 teachers who are already working by 2027,”
The teachers who are laid off, the POED Secretary-General added, will be replaced by others “who will be selected through examinations.”
Explaining further, Mr. Charalambous said that there is currently legislation in effect on a transitional basis until the 2027 legislation—which was passed in 2015—takes effect. POED itself, he said, has been warning “for many years now that this legislation, once enacted, will lead to a situation where we will have no teachers in 2027.” “And indeed, if this legislation is not amended and moves forward, we will be without teachers in the classroom by 2027,” he noted.
Currently, Mr. Charalambous explained that the needs in elementary education alone amount to approximately 1,700 temporary teachers, who work in all-day programs, in optional full-day programs, as substitutes, on contract, or as permanent employees.
According to the bill being promoted by the Ministry of Education, “a new list of candidates for appointment will be created, on which new teachers will be placed following a new exam, “which will be a test with no minimum passing score—in other words, just by writing your name on the answer sheet, you’ll be added to the list.” Consequently, he explained, “anyone who takes the exam will be added to the list; no matter what they write, there is no failing grade.” This will result in “this list being filled after the first exam”. He added that the names will be placed on this specific list in order “based on their prior service, their exam score, etc.” However, the POED Secretary-General continued, the result will be that “the list, which currently has 300 people in elementary education, will contain thousands of people after the exam.”
Regarding the second list of appointees in elementary education, Mr. Charalambous said that it currently includes 5,000 to 6,000 teachers. He further explained that, “of the 1,700 teachers we needed this year in elementary education, 300 were from the list of those eligible for appointment, and the rest were from the list of candidates for appointment.” “Now that the list of candidates eligible for appointment following the first exam will be filled, it means that half of those currently working will have to be laid off, because the others who pass the new exam will take their places.” “Are teachers just pawns of the Ministry of Education?” he asked, making it clear that there is “no way” they would accept the bill submitted by the Ministry of Education.
READ ALSO: Bomb threat call at a school in Paphos turns out to be a hoax; students and teachers return to class | AlphaNews
