More than 100 teaching contracts for optional all-day schools remained unfilled in mid-October, with the school year already well under way. The figures were presented to the House Education Committee. There, the president of primary teachers’ union POED, Myria Vasiliou, described the optional all-day school as being “on life support”.

Teachers’ union describes the worst year

Ms Vasiliou acknowledged that significant steps have been taken in recent years. She made clear, however, that this does not cancel out the serious problems that remain. She said this school year is perhaps the worst in terms of staffing the optional all-day schools.

As an indication of the situation, she noted that the Educational Service Commission had to announce provisional appointment lists on Monday. According to Ms Vasiliou, the procedure had not been used in this way for many years. The aim is to allow new graduates of teacher training schools to join the lists in an effort to fill the vacant posts.

She attributed the problem to the employment conditions on offer, noting that part-time contracts do not provide the necessary job security. According to POED, the solution lies in extending full-time contracts using the 29-hour model. The union says this would ensure better working conditions and a meaningful link between the morning and afternoon school.

115 posts unfilled

The scale of the problem was confirmed by the Educational Service Commission. Its representative, Maria Kyprianou, said that of the 953 posts for staffing all-day schools, 115 had not been filled, a rate exceeding 12%.

She explained that, despite successive calls, a large number of teachers on the relevant lists did not express interest in working at all-day schools. She also referred to the appointment of 150 primary teachers and 34 kindergarten teachers on full-time contracts on 31 July.

Pupil numbers and ministry planning

For the Ministry of Education, Director of Primary Education Marios Stylianides presented the development of the institution:

389 all-day schools are operating this year
Pupil numbers have risen from around 6,000 to 7,000 to between 16,000 and 17,000 over the past three years
Around 8,000 primary and kindergarten teachers are on the appointment lists, but only 1,000 to 1,100 are interested in working at all-day schools
The annual operating cost of the institution is around €35 million

“It is not a child-minding facility,” he stressed. He explained that all-day schools have detailed educational programmes and that training activities have been developed for teachers.

On staff shortages, he said planning began in the summer, immediately after enrolments were completed, when the needs were forwarded to the Educational Service Commission.

Afternoon programmes in secondary education

Giorgos Koutsides referred to afternoon programmes in secondary education, noting that 959 pupils take part, including in STEM and Music School programmes. The Ministry of Education referred to efforts to develop and expand these programmes.

For secondary teachers’ union OELMEK, vice-president Kyriakos Matthaiou noted that several programmes are still running on a pilot basis despite years of implementation. He called for a comprehensive evaluation, clear island-wide planning and action on infrastructure shortages to ensure equal access for pupils.

Knock-on effects on private schools

The session also highlighted the knock-on effects of delayed appointments. Each move of a teacher to fill one post can create a new vacancy elsewhere.

Valentina Georgiou, representing private pre-primary education, said that public sector appointments during the school year lead teachers to leave private kindergartens and schools. This creates new shortages, which may disrupt classes.

Shortage of support staff

Staffing problems are not limited to teachers. Representatives of school boards said they struggle to secure even essential support staff, such as cleaners and school escorts.

They said the pay on offer is particularly low and provides no incentive to take on work lasting two or three hours in the afternoon. The shortage of escorts also creates additional problems for children who need support.

Parents call for flexible timetables

Beyond staffing, the discussion also brought to light parents’ objections to the rigid application of the timetable. According to what was presented to the Committee, ten children left the all-day programme at Meneou Primary School because they were not allowed to leave a few minutes early on certain days to attend other activities.

Parents’ representatives asked why early departure may be permitted to attend classes at State Institutes of Further Education, but not for sports training or private tuition. They called for greater flexibility. They stressed that the optional nature of the all-day school should not become a reason to exclude children whose families face practical difficulties.

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