The secondary-school teachers’ union OELMEK is proceeding today, Wednesday, with a work stoppage from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., on the same day that the Parliamentary Committee on Education begins its article-by-article discussion of the new regulations on teacher evaluation.
The union is not backing down, moving ahead not only with the four-hour work stoppage but also with a demonstration outside Parliament at 9:00 a.m. The industrial action is expected to cause inevitable disruption for thousands of students and parents, many of whom find themselves once again bearing the consequences of the dispute.
Because of the timing of the work stoppage, most students are expected to remain at home and miss classes. Parents are choosing to avoid rearranging their work or personal schedules, and the logistical challenge of collecting children from school at 11:00 a.m. when the action is set to end.
At the same time, the Parliamentary Committee on Education enters today’s session under intense pressure as it begins the clause-by-clause review of the evaluation regulations. Tensions escalated further after the President of the Republic issued a clear warning on Tuesday: implementation of the evaluation milestone is directly tied to €60 million in Recovery and Resilience Facility funding — money that Cyprus, he stressed, “cannot afford to lose.”
This places multilayered pressure on committee members, who must navigate both the financial implications and the escalating stance of the unions. OELMEK has already signaled that it may intensify its measures, while primary-school union POED has left open the possibility of its own work stoppage next week.
In this charged atmosphere, today’s parliamentary session is considered critical for the future of the evaluation reform and for the smooth operation of schools in the coming days.
Earlier this week the Ministry of Education announced that students who stay home today will have their absences recorded, but they will not be counted.