A total of 1,227 children are waiting for an assessment or a decision on special educational or other support for the current school year, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said in a reply to a parliamentary question.
Limassol has the most cases, with 430, followed by Nicosia with 384, Larnaca and Famagusta with 252, and Paphos with 161. The cases are before the District Committees for Special Education.
Michaelidou gave the figures in response to questions from Dimitris Baros, a parliament member for Direct Democracy Cyprus. Baros had asked about the ministry’s bill on special education, how many children are waiting for support, how long the process takes, and staffing levels.
According to the minister, it takes an average of three months from referral until a decision is put into effect in Nicosia and Limassol. It takes two months in Larnaca and Famagusta, and a month and a half in Paphos.
She said these averages were indicative, because completing the process depends largely on carrying out the required assessments and receiving the relevant reports in good time. The committees cannot examine a case or reach a decision without those reports, so the time needed can vary. Urgent cases are prioritised and decided much more quickly, she added.
The amending bill and related amending regulations were submitted to parliament on 12 October 2026, with a request that they be examined urgently. Michaelidou said the new legal framework would start to apply once the parliamentary process was complete. The government aims to fund it by reallocating the money already set aside for special education in the state budget.
Staffing
There are currently 1,645 special education teachers, covering all specialisms, including learning, intellectual, functional and adaptive difficulties, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. They support primary and pre-primary children in mainstream and special schools. The minister said staffing for special education is not finished at the start of the school year but is an ongoing process.
In primary education, 1,501 school assistants and carers support a total of 3,191 children. In secondary education, 452 support 841 children: 394 in general secondary schools and 58 in technical schools.
