Hundreds of teachers protested outside the Presidential Palace on Thursday, calling on President Nikos Christodoulides to intervene in a dispute over the system for appointing teachers to state schools. Their unions say the system threatens their job security and could leave schools short of staff from 2027.
The protest was called by the three teachers’ unions: the Pancyprian Organisation of Greek Teachers (POED), the Organisation of Secondary School Teachers of Cyprus (OELMEK) and the Organisation of Technical Education Teachers of Cyprus (OLTEK). The unions reject the Education Ministry’s updated proposal on the appointment system. They say it fails to protect teachers who have served in state schools for years and poses serious risks to school staffing from 2027.
Protesters demanded job security and the retention of the appointment list, chanting slogans including “we are people, not numbers” and “no teacher on the street”.
In a memorandum to Christodoulides, received by Deputy Government Spokesman Giannis Antoniou, the unions expressed strong displeasure at what they called a serious delay in tabling a fair and comprehensive proposal.
The delay, they said, prolongs uncertainty for thousands of teachers about their future and puts staffing at risk. The issue concerns people who have served state schools for years, gaining experience and supporting pupils, the unions said. “They are not numbers on a list.”
The unions set out four demands. They want security for every teacher with previous service in state schools, whether on indefinite-term, full-time or part-time contracts or working as substitutes, with a route to permanent appointment based on their service rather than on sitting exams.
They also want flaws in the exam system corrected so that teachers who have already sat the exams are not treated unfairly. They called for real job security for indefinite-term teachers, ending the uncertainty they face when posts become surplus. Finally, they want all these changes made without putting school staffing at risk.
Before the protest, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou called the reaction excessive. She said the ministry’s proposal meets most of the unions’ demands, leaving only the question of automatic permanent appointment, “which is something we cannot do”. She added that talks were already under way, and said she was therefore surprised that measures were being taken and protests held.
Kostas Pateras, president of POED’s retired teachers, also addressed the protest. He recalled being first appointed 63 years ago, at a time when teachers held a strike lasting about three weeks to demand equal pay for male and female teachers.
