The passage of the law for the gradual abolition of the existing system of teacher recruitment is a historic development that was taken after decades of consultation and which bears the signature of Minister Costas Kadis. But it is not the only one. Another six proposals that are being implemented are the reform of the current political head of Education, from Primary to Tertiary Education and concern:
1. In the reconstruction of the high school.
2. In the implementation of new program schedules.
3. In the operation of the Quality Assurance and Certification Body of Higher Education.
4. In reshaping student support policy.
5. In teacher training.
6. The new framework for access to HEIs.
7. Some of them will be implemented at the beginning of the new school year and others will be implemented in the coming years. The puzzle with the "ten orders" of the minister completes three more proposals which are expected to be promoted in the coming months.
1. Written examinations for appointment
On July 9, 2015, the Parliament took the historic decision to change the recruitment system in public education, after the intensive consultations of Costas Kadis with the educational organizations, which led to the acceptance of the new system by OELMEK and OLTEK. The passage of the much-discussed bill marks the beginning of its end for the existing list of appointees, but also the beginning of the procedures for the creation of the new list of appointees. In this context and in order to implement the new legislation, the EVS accepts applications for registration in the new lists and 879 applications have already been submitted. Based on the new data, the first recruitments, where the main criterion will be the performance of the candidates in a written examination, will take place in September 2018. However, the final abolition of the list is placed in 2027, after a transitional period of a total duration of twelve years. .
In particular, the new law stipulates that in the three years 2015-2018, appointments will continue to be made based on the existing system. During this period, the Government will promote the release of 1.525 organic positions, with the aim of making permanent the same number of teachers employed in schools as part-time and contract workers. Specifically, the letter of the Minister of Education Costas Kadis, which was sent yesterday to the Parliament, provides that a total of 700 positions will be given in Primary Education, 718 in General Secondary and 107 in Secondary Technical Education.
In 2017, the written exam will be held for the first time. After consultation, it was decided that the exams will be divided into three parts: The first part will include an examination on the subject of the curricula in the field and the specialty of the candidate, which will be scored at a rate of 32%. The second part will include an examination of the candidate's skills, which will be scored with a percentage of up to 10% and the third part will include an examination for the knowledge of the Greek language, which will be scored with a percentage of up to 8%. The total score of the written exam will be up to 50% (instead of 40% provided by the original bill).
In September 2018, the second phase of the transitional period will be implemented, which will last until August 31, 2027. For these nine years, the recruitments will be carried out in a ratio of 50-50 by the old and the new system. As of September 1, 2027, the existing list of appointees will be permanently abolished.
>> The criteria for compiling the new catalogs
The order of priority in the nominal tables is defined as follows:
1. Written examination up to 50% (32% knowledge of the curriculum of the public schools of the Republic in the specialty for which the application was submitted, 10% examination of skills, 8% knowledge of the Greek language)
2. Degree of first degree up to 8% (Excellent 8%, Very Good 6%, Good or when no grade is indicated 4%)
3. Additional academic qualifications up to 9% (doctoral degree 9%, master's degree or additional first degree 6%, postgraduate diploma of at least one academic year 2%). Only one additional academic qualification is considered.
4. Educational service up to 20% (2,5% for each school year of educational service).
5. Year of submission of the first degree up to 10% (1% for each year following the year of submission of the first degree of the candidate. For candidates who are already registered in the lists of appointees, the year of submission will be the year of their application for entry in the lists of appointees)
6. Service in the National Guard or in the armed forces of an EU Member State up to 3% (1/8% for each completed month of service, provided that the service was before obtaining the first degree, with a maximum score of 3%) .
2. New school schedule
With the return of Lilliputian students to primary schools, teachers will inaugurate the new timetable approved by the Council of Ministers. According to the minister, the changes that will be implemented follow the changes that were decided in Secondary Education and in particular the decisions that were taken for the abolition of the Unified Lyceum and the creation of Course Selection Directions.
As he explained, "the differences are based on the results of a report, which was made by experts, academics, combat teachers and technocrats of the ministry, on the basis of which we have strengthened specific courses that admittedly needed reinforcement, such as Greek, Mathematics, English and the Physical Education course ". Especially for the latter, he said that the goal is to address the phenomenon of obesity.
More specifically, the following will apply next September:
- The teaching time of the Greek course in all grades of primary school is increased by two periods.
- The teaching time for the Mathematics lesson is increased by two periods in classes A ', B', C, D 'and by one teaching hour in classes E' and F '.
- The English course is strengthened for a period in grades A 'and B'.
- The teaching time of Physical Education is increased by one period in grades E 'and F'.
- The "Consolidation Zone" is abolished with the inclusion of this time in each lesson, with the encouragement for differentiation of teaching.
Based on the above, the total teaching periods corresponding to the 14 primary school courses, from the 62st to the 40th grade, are as follows: 8 courses Greek, 12 Mathematics, 12 History, 8 Religious, 4 Geography / School Garden, 12 Natural Sciences and Technology, 12 Natural Sciences, 14 Art, 12 Music, 4 Physical Education, 8 English, 2 Design and Technology / Health Education-Home Economics, XNUMX Life Education and XNUMX Education for Sustainable Development.
It is clarified that the teaching periods remain 40 minutes. Students will also continue to have seven lessons per day and three breaks.
It is noted that the POED agreed with the final proposal of the ministry, which was formulated on the basis of two parameters: a) The report of the scientific committee for the evaluation of curricula and b) the weaknesses identified by the teachers themselves, during the visits of the minister in schools.
3. Quality provider of higher education
After a marathon consultation that started in 2007 and intensified in recent months, the Parliament passed a law on the government proposal for the establishment and operation of the Agency for Quality Assurance and Certification of Higher Education.
This development is considered important for the future of the Higher Education of the place, as it is expected to contribute in various ways to its upgrading. The Agency, which is expected to operate in October, aims to make a decisive contribution to ensuring the quality of education provided to students, but also to the effort made by the State to promote Cyprus as a regional center of higher education.
According to the ministry, the Agency, on the one hand, will ensure the quality of the higher education provided in Cyprus and, on the other hand, will identify weaknesses and shortcomings of the Cypriot institutions of higher education and, consequently, will be given the opportunity to upgrade their quality. Specifically, with the establishment of the Agency, periodic evaluation and certification of public and private universities and colleges of Higher Education as well as their study programs will be carried out. The lists of recognized higher education institutions as well as the programs they can offer will be made public. At the same time, the institutions of higher education in Cyprus will be given the opportunity to offer degrees abroad through cross-border education.
4. New framework for access to HEIs
The examined courses are changed per field of study, according to a decision of the Ministry of Education, which proceeded to the announcement of the restructured access frameworks in the HEIs of Cyprus and Greece, based on the new timetable.
According to the ministry, the new data will apply to high school students in the 2017-2018 school year, when the implementation of the new timetable in high school will be completed.
It is clarified that based on the relevant decisions, access to all university faculties will continue to be done with four examined courses, while in TEI, AXIK and ASPAITE will be done with three. The ministry also notes that the final access courses from the technical schools may be differentiated on the basis of the final schedule of the Technical Education program, which is being developed and will be subject to consultation.
Those interested can be informed about the new access frameworks on the website of the ministry (www.moec.gov.cy).
5. New data on student support
From the new academic year, the government policy of supporting students is being reshaped. In particular, all forms of student support, which include student sponsorship, student package and scholarships, for Cypriots studying either inside or outside, will be consolidated and managed by the Ministry of Education. Consultations on this issue are ongoing and it is estimated that the changes will be announced in the autumn.
6. Universal training every two years
Teachers will return to the desks every two years, to complete 50 hours of training, according to the training plan approved just last Wednesday by the Council of Ministers. The proposal, entitled "Unified policy for the professional learning of teachers", will be piloted next September.
According to the decision, vocational learning will be characterized by three basic principles: First, it will be systematic and continuous, ie it will take place at regular intervals. Specifically, each teacher will be required to complete 50 hours of training over a two-year period, which will include attending seminars, workshops, conferences and other activities. Second, it will be universal, as it will concern all teachers of all levels. Third, it will be targeted, as it will be directly related to the needs of the schools and the teachers themselves.
Based on the decision of the Minister, the pilot application will be implemented next school year by the schools that will express interest. During the pilot implementation of the program, the number of these schools will not exceed fifteen in Primary and ten in Secondary Education. All pilot schools will receive support and guidance from the Pedagogical Institute, which will then evaluate the pilot application.
According to the Ministry of Education, the professional learning of teachers will be implemented through four basic stages: a) the investigation and analysis of needs, b) the design and organization of the program, c) the implementation of the program and d) its evaluation . An important role in the implementation of the program will be played by the coordinators (at the level of the school unit) and the supporters (at the level of the Pedagogical Institute).
7. Sweeping changes in Secondary Education
In September 2015, the teaching hours in high schools increase from 37 to 38, the 8 hours are extended to three days a week and the teaching time of the cognitive subjects is redistributed. The A 'Lyceum ceases to be entirely a common trunk, as it is vaccinated with groups of orientation courses that bind the students for the direction they will follow in the next class. In September 2016, six directions replace the plethora of options in the 2017nd Lyceum and the number of exams increases from four to five. In September XNUMX, the system of six directions is extended to the XNUMXrd Lyceum. Based on the above, the current Unified Lyceum completes its cycle and is abolished.
It should be noted that each of the four orientation groups created in the A 'Lyceum consists of two courses as follows:
1st IMP: Ancient and History.
2nd IMP: Mathematics and Physics
3rd IMP: Mathematics and Economics.
4th IMP: Economics and English.
As for the subjects in the A 'Lyceum, they are formed according to the group of orientation courses (OMP) that will be chosen by each student. Thus, the examined per group are:
- For the 1st IMP: Modern Greek, Mathematics, Ancient, History.
- For the 2nd IMP: Modern Greek, Mathematics, Physics, History.
- For the 3rd IMP: Modern Greek, Mathematics, Economics, History.
- For the 4th IMP: Modern Greek, Mathematics, English, Economics.
In the XNUMXnd and XNUMXrd grade, the examined courses are five: Modern Greek and the four courses (compulsory and elective) of the direction that the student has chosen to attend.
The new organization chart also provides that the student can choose a direction in the XNUMXnd Lyceum depending on the group of orientation courses he has attended in the XNUMXst Lyceum:
The 1st IMP leads to the following directions in the B 'and C' Lyceum: a) Classical and Humanities Studies, b) Foreign Languages and European Studies, c) Fine Arts.
The 2nd IMP leads in the following directions in the B 'and C' Lyceum: a) Positive Sciences, Life Sciences, Informatics and Technology, b) Fine Arts.
The 3rd IMP leads to the following directions in the B 'and C' Lyceum: a) Economics, b) Fine Arts.
The 4th IMP leads to the following directions in the B 'and C' Lyceum: a) Services and b) Fine Arts.
>> Classifications from A 'to B' Lyceum
A student who wishes to choose a direction in the 10nd Lyceum different from the one in which he is led by the IMP he attended in the XNUMXst Lyceum should, after being promoted to the XNUMXnd Lyceum, attend and succeed in qualifying examinations (with a grade of XNUMX and above). The student must pass all the courses of the qualifying exams.
The examinations of the qualifiers are related to the direction in which the student wishes to be admitted to the 1nd Lyceum. E.g. a student who in the XNUMXst Lyceum chose the XNUMXst IMP and therefore Ancient and History, if he wishes in the XNUMXnd Lyceum to follow the direction of Economics, then he should attend classes and be examined in Mathematics and Economics.
>> Change of direction in the XNUMXrd Lyceum
The student can also change direction in the 2rd Lyceum after attending and succeeding in qualifying exams. The courses that will be examined are the direction courses that he wishes to attend in the 3rd grade and which he has not taught in the XNUMXnd grade. E.g. student of the XNUMXnd Lyceum of the XNUMXnd direction (compulsory courses English and History) and with electives Latin and French, who wishes to attend in the XNUMXrd grade the XNUMXrd course with courses Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English, will have to attend classes exams in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
In addition, a student who wishes in the XNUMXrd Lyceum to change one or some of the selected courses of his / her direction, will have to attend the respective classifications of these courses.
Three other proposals in the works
- Separation of Pancyprian Examinations: The Minister of Education has already announced his intention to separate Pancyprian Examinations into diplomas and entrance exams. A special committee has completed a proposal, which is expected to be given to the training partners in the coming weeks, with a view to launching consultations. In recent statements, Mr. Kadis stated that the ultimate goal is with the resumption of work of Parliament in September to promote the amendment of relevant legislation "and if possible to start implementing the new system from next year."
- Regulations for the operation of schools: A special committee undertook the preparation of a comprehensive proposal for the modernization of the operating regulations of secondary schools. According to the minister, within the new school year she is expected to complete her work, in order to start the dialogue. Some of the issues that concern the committee are: the absences of the students, the disciplinary measures, the beginning and the end of the school year and so on.
- New teacher evaluation system: This is an issue that has also been discussed for years, but without a positive outcome. The minister's proposal is expected to be finalized within the next period, with the ultimate goal of starting consultations with educational organizations. However, it is considered a particularly difficult chapter and it is no coincidence that Mr. Kadis preferred to close the rest before putting it on the table.
Source: FILELEFTHEROS