Ensuring that teachers who work in public schools or are on the lists of those eligible for appointment are not treated as victims, as well as ensuring adequate staffing at schools, are the key points on which educators’ organizations agree regarding the new appointment system proposed by the Ministry of Education.
The three organizations—POED, OELMEK, and OLTEK— held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon at the POED offices, with the aim of coordinating their next steps in the dialogue with the Ministry on this issue.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“A common point of reference is, on the one hand, ensuring that no teacher working in a public school is victimized and, certainly, maintaining adequate staffing levels even after 2027, which obviously implies the need to amend existing legislation,” said POED President Myria Vassiliou in her remarks.
“Therefore, using this as a common point of reference, we will discuss the proposal provided to us by the Ministry of Education in detail to address the points that require clarification, the points on which we disagree, and on which we will submit recommendations during our meetings with the Minister of Education,” she added.
Ms. Vassiliou also made it clear that educational organizations will not tolerate the victimization of any teacher who is on either the list of appointed teachers or the list of eligible teachers. Responding to a question regarding teacher competence, she noted that this falls under separate legislation concerning the evaluation of teachers.
For his part, the President of OELMEK, Konstantinos Konstantinou, explained that the purpose of the meeting was for the three organizations to agree on the next steps and exchange views regarding the Minister’s working proposal.
He confirmed that the key principle “is not to victimize any colleague who works in a public school and has gained valuable teaching experience, has helped the system continue to function smoothly by agreeing to work throughout Cyprus.”
Beyond safeguarding current employees, Mr. Konstantinou said that the new plan for appointing teachers must be merit-based, transparent, and ensure an adequate supply of teaching staff for the system.
For his part, the President of OLTEK, Panagiotis Lysandrou, also highlighted the importance of safeguarding teachers already serving in public schools, noting that without them, many problems would have arisen in the education system. He emphasized that no one should be made a scapegoat and that their continued employment must be guaranteed.
“Beyond that, of course, the new system must ensure that our schools are adequately staffed in a fair and transparent manner, and the new appointment exams essentially need to be improved, so that any difficulties and distortions can be eliminated,” he concluded.
Source: CNA
