"The textbooks should have been delivered on time to all classrooms," it was noted during the session of the Parliament’s Education Committee, which asked the relevant Ministry to review the contracts and the problems that arose. The Ministry stated that the 2027 budget will include increased funding under the line item for printing materials, so that twice the number of books will be available and such shortages will not occur again.
The delivery schedule for school textbooks during the 2026–2027 school year was the focus of today’s session of the Parliament’s Education Committee, following a proposal by DISY MPs Prodromos Alambritis, Michalis Kounounis, and Nikoletta Konstantinou.
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The Chair of the House Education Committee, Chrysanthos Savvides, stated in his opening remarks that this issue is of particular importance, as the proper receipt and distribution of school textbooks is a crucial prerequisite for the smooth start and operation of the school year and the unimpeded implementation of the curricula. Mr. Savvidis, in remarks made after the committee meeting, said that there is a problem.
“We were told that the contractor was supposed to have delivered the books by July 19, and the contract provided for a 20-day extension and a one-week delay for the letter to be sent, so the deadline fell on August 15, but we were told that no one works on the Feast of the Assumption, and that’s where the problem arose. And I ask, why was it sent on July 19? So, the contract, which has been signed, was acknowledged today by officials at the Ministry of Education as problematic. That is why we asked them to review the contracts again, to reexamine the problems that arose, and to determine how to correct them so that we do not face such problems in the future,” he added.
He noted that some explanations were provided, but in my view, what really matters is that the textbooks—especially the math textbooks for elementary school, but for all grade levels—be available on time.
“Some solutions were offered, but the solution is for students to have their textbooks on time, because I would say this issue takes on greater significance given that the availability of textbooks is a fundamental prerequisite for the smooth start and operation of the school year and the uninterrupted implementation of the curricula.
The Director of Elementary Education, Dr. Marios Stylianides, speaking before the Committee, said that there is no substantial problem, adding that there was a last-minute issue, because some contractors informed them that certain textbooks would not arrive by September 10—or even earlier—so that they could be used in schools starting September 14.
“That is why, as the Department of Elementary Education—which oversees most grade levels and, in particular, the math curriculum, a daily subject taught in our schools—we had to provide our teacherson what to do and what materials to use. We know, of course, that in September the standard guidelines are that we don’t start with the textbook; we conduct our assessments and diagnostic tests to get to know each new student, their level—both individually and as a group—and toward the end of the month, we start using the textbooks,” he added. However, he continued, that wasn’t the crux of the matter.
“We had to contact the schools and tell them that these textbooks wouldn’t be arriving, and ask what alternatives they had. We had contacted the Government Printing Office on an emergency basis to have them print the first three sections of each missing math textbook in color booklets, and the staff offered to do so, carried it out, and we received them. We did not give instructions to photocopy them in color or black-and-white and distribute them,” he noted.
The Deputy Director of Secondary General Education, Dr. George Koutsidis, speaking before the Committee, said that contracts were signed in which the companies committed to providing the English textbooks electronically, while solutions had been found to fill the gaps. “We expect to have the textbooks in schools by the end of September or mid-October at the latest,” he added.
The Director of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, Elena Hatzikakou, stated that school books are procured through competitive bidding, public procurement procedures, and direct book purchases.
She emphasized that the above procedures were completed on time, adding that the contracts were awarded in March 2026 and were scheduled for delivery around July 19, 2026. “The delays that occurred had nothing to do with the call for bids, the evaluation, or the awarding of the contracts. The delay was exclusively due to the timelines followed by a contractor who had been awarded that specific bid,” he said.
He noted that the Ministry had found solutions and had made provisions in the 2027 budget to increase the allocation under the budget line item for printing materials, so that there would be a double supply of books and they would notrun out under similar circumstances.
She noted that a number of math workbooks were delivered on September 11
The head of the Ministry’s Warehouse, Skevi Christofi, reported that 80% of the temporary textbooks had been delivered to schools.
POED President Myria Vassiliou stated that the shortage of textbooks, especially in academic subjects such as math, is a significant issue, which is why the reaction was so strong.
“It’s true that some schools have received the small textbooks. They haven’t been distributed to all of them—there are over 300 schools—so there is a delay,” he added, noting that a photocopy cannot replace a school textbook.
The President of OELMEK, Konstantinos Konstantinou, stated that secondary schools have not yet received the English textbooks and noted that the question is how long the delay in receiving the books will last.
OLTEK General Secretary Lenos Loizou reported that nearly 97% of the textbooks have been delivered to technical schools.
Organized parents of elementary and secondary school students expressed their concern about this delay and pointed out that it is a problem for children to start the school year without their textbooks.
PSEM General Secretary Despoina Kyprianou, speaking before the Committee, said that English is one of the few subjects taught almost entirely from textbooks. “High schools opened 1.5 weeks ago, and we want an answer as to when the textbooks will arrive.”
DISY MP Prodromos Alambritis said in a statement that, regarding the delayed delivery of school textbooks, they had been informed last week by POED, but they discovered that some textbooks in secondary education had not been delivered either.
“We have requested that all procedures be expedited so that the necessary textbooks reach all schools as soon as possible. It is unacceptable for the school year to begin with students and teachers being forced to resort to temporary solutions, such as printing handouts. We expect that, starting next school year, there will be proper and timely planning with clear timelines and better coordination. “When assurances are given before Parliament and the public that everything is ready, those assurances must fully correspond to reality,” he added.
AKEL MP Christos Christofides said in his remarks that the publicity campaign of the past few weeks claiming that everything was ready and that everything was perfect in the schools unfortunately collapsed like a house of cards as soon as schools opened.
“Not all of the textbooks have arrived at our schools. The most striking example is the math textbooks for elementary school, which are missing in almost every classroom. The Ministry is scrambling to fill this huge gap with photocopies and other means, which teachers themselves have now identified as one of the key problems affecting the learning process. In such cases, there’s always an attempt to blame “Hatzipetris.” In other words, we go back to who carried out the process and whether the private contractor is to blame. “The bottom line is very simple. The contracts that are signed, the agreements, and the explanations must all lead to one result: that schools have the textbooks for our students by the start of the school year,” he noted.
“If those who bear political responsibility cannot ensure this by making the necessary agreements and arrangements with any private provider, it is not the private provider who is at fault; it is those responsible for the smooth operation of our schools who are to blame,” he added.
He also noted that they have serious concerns that not all textbooks will be in the students’ hands by October.
“We hope we’re wrong, but the evidence we have points to that. We want to call on the Minister of Education, first and foremost, to acknowledge the problem, because as long as you don’t acknowledge a problem, you can’t solve it, and for the Ministry to stop this publicity campaign aimed at convincing us that everything is fine and everything is perfect and the sun is shiningand focus on the real problems with the aim of solving them,” he added.
ELAM MP Polys Anogiriatis, stated in his remarks that today the Education Committee discussed important issues that directly affect the daily lives of students and teachers.
“Regarding the issue of school textbooks, we were informed that the quantity of orders will increase for the next school year. As ELAM, we asked to know who the contractor was, who is responsible for this year’s delays, and what penalties or contractual fines are expected to be imposed. “There cannot be a delay without accountability,” he noted.
The DIKO Parliamentary Spokesperson and Vice Chair of the Committee, Panikos Leonidou, said that they examined the delays in the delivery of school textbooks, particularly for specific elementary school subjects.
“The discussion highlighted the need to revise and modernize the terms of the relevant contracts, with stricter provisions and clear consequences in cases of delays, in order to ensure the timely delivery of textbooks and prevent similar occurrences in the future,” he concluded.
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Source: CNA
