Teachers strike over evaluation system

Primary and secondary education teachers went on strike on Thursday over the new evaluation system expected to be sent to the House plenum on Monday.

Poed, Oelmek and Isotita have blamed the education ministry over the situation, to which Education Minister Athena Michaelides replied that everyone must respect democratic procedures.

President of the confederation of parents’ associations of public secondary schools, Loizos Constantinou, said that parents have expressed anger over the work stoppage.

Oelmek president Demetris Taliadoros said ahead of the strike, “One of the basic lessons is that democracies are not blackmailed. In democracies, the worker has the right to strike, which must, since it is constitutionally protected, be respected.”

Poed president Myria Vasiliou said the union had its members’ authorisation to strike since June but had refrained to do so until now.

Speaking after the strike, Vasiliou said the stoppage sent a loud message to the executive and legislative powers, adding that the situation was “difficult”.

The government, she said, had “unfortunately failed to convince the teachers” of the rightness of the proposed evaluation system and pointed out that at the end of the day it was the teachers who would be called upon to implement it.

Vasiliou said the teachers would be the first to support the new system if they had been convinced that its provisions were in the right direction.

She also expressed disappointment with parliament. “Just after our strike finished, at 9.07am, we were sent the document including the amendments we had from the outstart opposed,” Vasiliou explained.

The main point of contention was the role of the headmaster in the final evaluation, with the amendments including the deputy headmaster and removing the transition period for discussions on the matter. “So, our concerns were verified,” Vasiliou said.

On a brighter note, Vasiliou said there was still time albeit slim until Monday to submit more amendments before it passed from the plenum.

She added that a bill that had not been agreed on should not make its way to the plenum in the first place.

Vasiliou is concerned over the day after if the bill passes as is.

“It is a difficult situation. We will see, we will evaluate […] We hope nothing passes on Monday that will perpetuate this upheaval. From thereon, however, decisions will be taken by the collective bodies of the organisation,” she added.

The strike covered the first two periods, from 7.30am to 9am for Oelmek members and from 7.30am to 9.05am for Poed members, affecting about 310,000 students and parents.