The Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panayiotou, has once again been offered an appointment in public education.
Panayiotou, who is a philology teacher in addition to her ministerial role, is included in a list of permanent teaching appointments issued yesterday by the Educational Service Commission (ESC). According to the announcement, she must inform the commission by 20 February whether she accepts or declines the appointment.
No second suspension
The appointment would take effect from 1 September 2026. If she declines, the law provides for her removal from the list of eligible candidates. It is also noted that Panayiotou is not entitled to request a second suspension of the appointment.
The development follows an issue that arose last August, when Panayiotou was offered a public education post for the first time. She had then requested a one-year suspension of the appointment, which was unanimously approved by the ESC on grounds of public interest. At the time, it was reported that this was the first such request submitted by a serving minister.
Under the current legislation, the suspension of an appointment is explicitly provided for in specific cases, such as health reasons, pregnancy or further studies. The ESC may also examine requests submitted for other reasons, which are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the public interest and the principle of equal treatment.
It remains unclear whether Panayiotou will accept the new appointment, as the deadline set by the ESC expires on 20 February. Politis contacted the Minister of Agriculture for comment, but no response had been received by the time of publication.
This article was originally published on the Greek-language Politis website.