Hector Georgiou
Cyprus’ optional all-day schools are “on life support” because of staff shortages, the primary teachers’ union warned today, as lawmakers examined unfilled posts, delayed appointments and parents’ complaints about operating hours.
The House Education Committee discussed the problems after MPs requested an examination of the issue on their own initiative.
Committee chairman and DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis stressed the importance of the optional all-day school program but highlighted understaffing and complaints he receives from parents about its hours.
DISY MP Prodromos Alambritis acknowledged improvements but said all-day schools should open on the first day of the school year, rather than starting later.
AKEL MP Christos Christofides described this year as a step backward because of staffing gaps. Teachers should not be told on a Friday that they must report to a school on Monday, he said, stressing the need for proper planning.
The committee also heard concerns about pupils dropping out of the program. ELAM MP Sotiris Ioannou said some children were leaving because the rules did not allow them to go home before the scheduled finishing time.
“All-day schools are not a babysitting service”
The program began in 1999 with nine schools and has expanded to 383 over the past 27 years, said Director of Primary Education Dr. Marios Stylianidis.
He described that growth as a major achievement, alongside changes that had improved quality. However, he stressed that all-day schools were not simply a babysitting service.
Participation has risen sharply over the past three years, from around 6,000–7,000 pupils to approximately 17,000–18,000 this year.
On staffing, Stylianidis said planning had begun over the summer.
115 of 953 posts remain unfilled
Maria Kyprianou, representing the Educational Service Commission, said the staffing process began on July 31, when the first appointments were made.
These included 150 primary school teachers and 34 kindergarten teachers appointed on a full-time basis. However, 115 of the 953 posts remained unfilled, she said.
The shortages extend beyond teachers. School board representatives said they were also struggling to recruit school assistants and cleaners, citing the limited working hours and low pay.
Teachers’ union calls it the worst year for staffing
POED President Myria Vasiliou acknowledged the progress made in all-day schools in recent years but said the union considered this the worst year for staffing.
On Monday, she said, the Educational Service Commission had been forced to publish provisional appointment lists—a step that had not been taken for many years.
She explained that the move would allow 2026 graduates of teacher-training programs to join the lists in a last-ditch effort to fill vacancies in all-day schools.
The problem was extremely serious, Vasiliou said, warning that the optional all-day school program was “on life support.”
