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Cyprus has landed in last place in the EU for student learning outcomes, a ranking the education minister says should shock the country into action. She says that’s exactly why the government is pushing ahead with a major overhaul of the teacher evaluation system, even as unions continue to fight it.
“We’re the only country in Europe without a modern evaluation system,” she said, adding that teachers shouldn’t be stuck under rules written half a century ago. She called the government’s proposal “balanced” and said she’s proud of it.
“I hope politics doesn’t get in the way,” she said. “Our children and teachers deserve a system that works.”
The debate took a sharp turn when OELMEK president Dimitris Taliadoros joked that it took “50 years to find a female minister” willing to change the system. The minister said she was disappointed and called the comment clearly sexist, stressing that such attitudes have no place in schools. “Respect isn’t optional,” she said.
Unions argue they can’t back a plan that wasn’t fully agreed with them. The minister counters that their reaction stems from decades of doing things the same way, adding that today’s system almost guarantees teachers know when they’ll be promoted long before it happens. “Fifty years creates an establishment,” she said.
Today, teachers are graded after two quick classroom visits a year, and most end up bunched between 35 and 40 on a 40-point scale. The ministry wants to replace that with a more detailed 1–100 system, multiple evaluators, including principals, and clear, measurable criteria. The goal, she said, is to finally reward strong performance and support teachers who want to grow.
Union leaders dislike the idea of principals being involved and want to keep the old scoring scale. Some are also pushing for more management positions in schools, something the minister says can only be discussed after the bill is approved.
Parliament is now examining the bill line by line while also hearing feedback from unions again. The minister says she’s fine with that as long as the core of the reform doesn’t get watered down. She also warned that the clock is ticking: the EU requires the law to pass by the end of the year, or Cyprus risks losing at least €60 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
“I hope politics doesn’t get in the way,” she said. “Our children and teachers deserve a system that works.”
*Read Andreas Kimitris' full interview with Education Minister Athena Michaelidou here in Greek.
