Strikes in schools with the good morning of the new year

Its intense frustration and disagreement, because the Ministry of Education and Culture has decided to give Secondary Education only 11,5% of the new positions (23 positions out of 200) that it will request from the Council of Ministers on August 24, 2016, a fact that undermines the educational reform, expresses the KDS of OELMEK, according to an announcement of the Organization.

The KELS of OELMEK met on Friday in an extraordinary session and discussed the issue of school staffing in view of the start of the new school year, and the problems identified due to the recent measures of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

During the meeting, the KELS of OELMEK decided to take dynamic measures, including the strikes, which will be implemented in stages.

As mentioned in the announcement of the Organization, the gradual development of the measures will be decided by the KDS, while the PSGA will be convened extraordinarily, if this is deemed necessary.

The KELS of OELMEK hopes that those who lead things to a dead end will help in the end and will make the right decisions, so that it will be possible for our schools to function smoothly from September 1, 2016, and expects the meeting with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Education, which they have requested since August 10, 2016.

"The important reforms in the field of Education concern the high school and high school cycle (New Timetables, New Curricula, new School Regulations, Vocational Learning of teachers, four-month exams, separation of Pancyprian Examinations into entrance exams) in the announcement.

Unfortunately, it adds, "the Ministry of Education, instead of supporting the changes that it and the Government are promoting, chooses to weaken Secondary Education with decisions that victimize thousands of students, by abolishing the Literacy program and by changing the way laboratory work is done." courses in Informatics, Technology and Home Economics ".

It is also stated that with these decisions as well as with other policies that have been decided, more than 90 teachers of various specialties who had worked as contract workers in the previous years have been led to unemployment so far.

The position is expressed that "it is obvious that the Ministry of Education has decided the above for purely financial reasons but also under pressure and blackmail of certain circles."

Responsibility, according to OELMEK, for the understaffing of Secondary Education "lies with those who created a climate of cuts in Education, and especially in Middle".

"We are surprised by the fact that the Pancyprian Confederation of Parents and Guardians Associations has not yet taken a public stand against the proposals of the EPA that will victimize thousands of our students," he added.

The KELS of OELMEK calls on the Ministry of Education and the Government to support the reforms made by their own decisions in Secondary Education and to allocate the necessary resources, so as not to cause a disturbance at the beginning of the new school year.

At the same time, it calls on the Ministry of Education to withdraw the specific decisions and to give the Secondary Education the positions required for the smooth operation of the schools and for the benefit of the students.

Source: KYPE