The cabinet has approved “fundamentally important” teacher evaluation reform, which will be implemented over the course of five years, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou announced on Tuesday “with particular satisfaction”.

The proposal will now go to parliament for discussion and Michaelidou said she was confident MPs would heed the call of society and move forward.

Speaking after the cabinet meeting, Michaelidou said the new evaluation system would be implemented in adult education programmes starting in the new academic year and would be gradually expanded to cover the whole education system, so that it matched those of Europe.

The controversial evaluation system, which has already met with the opposition of teachers’ unions, is “an act of priority […] and responsibility towards society and mainly the children,” the minister pointed out.

The final decision took months of deliberations with all involved parties, she added.

Proper teacher evaluation, Michaelidou explained, was directly linked to better student results and a high-quality education system.

She said education was the most important reform for the future of Cyprus and that during the five-year transition period all those involved would have the opportunity to present their views on the course of implementation.

“We have no more time to lose. Fifty years are a lot and we don’t need to consume time in discussions. Indeed, we have all determined the necessity for change. Now is the time to prove that we mean it and leave excuses, pretexts and delays behind,” she said.

Teachers joining the public sector will be given the same two-year trial period, but this time with specific measurable criteria, so the unsuitable ones can be weeded out from the beginning.