After a year of difficult discussions, Cyprus’s House Education Committee is getting closer to a major agreement on a new way to evaluate teachers. The committee’s chairman, Pavlos Mylonas, expressed strong hope on Thursday. He said that negotiations are moving forward and that changes are being written into the proposed law. The goal is to find a middle ground between the government's plans for modernization and the strong objections from teacher unions. This new legislation would completely change a system that has not been updated for fifty years. Its success or failure will deeply affect over 20,000 teachers and more than 100,000 students across the country.
Mylonas confirmed that political parties and individual politicians are preparing changes to the law. These changes are intended to make the new rules clearer, especially in areas where responsibilities might overlap. He stressed that the process is collaborative, describing the talks as a search for "understandings rather than concessions." His confidence was clear, as he stated he was "almost certain" the proposal would be sent to the full parliament for a final vote, unless an unexpected political problem arises. A special committee meeting may still be held to finalize the bill's details.
There are two main reasons for this reform. Firstly, the current system is fifty years old and is widely considered unsuitable for a modern school system. Secondly, Cyprus must update its practices to meet its obligations as a member of the European Union. The government's main argument, according to Mylonas, is that the student must be the ultimate beneficiary. He explained that the goal is to improve the system for teachers, which will then allow them to provide a better education for children. He emphasized that the interests of the majority must come first.
However, teacher unions for state schools have consistently and forcefully opposed this view. For the past twelve months, they have campaigned to keep the existing system. They have submitted their own lists of demands and have serious doubts about the new model. Their biggest worries, which the new amendments will try to resolve, focus on parts of the proposal they see as vague and the possibility that it could create more bureaucratic inefficiency.
Mylonas admitted that the final system will not be perfect. Instead, he called it a sincere effort to create a process that is as fair, effective, and merit-based as possible. The committee is now ready to begin a detailed, article-by-article debate. The results of these final discussions will decide if Cyprus can successfully implement its most important educational reform in half a century, or if the fragile agreement falls apart, leaving a crucial modernization effort in an uncertain state.