The education ministry has sent education unions and other stakeholders a working document outlining its initial proposals to modernise Cyprus’ teacher recruitment system, launching a consultation process ahead of planned reforms.

Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said on Wednesday the document sets out the ministry’s preliminary positions and should be viewed as the basis for a “responsible and evidence-based dialogue” aimed at achieving the broadest possible consensus before a final proposal is prepared.

She described the reform of the teacher appointment system, introduced in 2015, as one of the most significant institutional changes to Cyprus’ education system.

“It marked the transition from a system based primarily on candidates’ order of registration to one based on predetermined and measurable assessment criteria,” Michaelidou said, adding that the reform’s core objective of promoting meritocracy, transparency and objectivity remains unchanged.

The ministry’s proposals are built around two main pillars: changes to the written examination process and new recruitment arrangements that will take effect from September 1, 2027, following the abolition of the existing appointment lists.

Under the proposed changes to the written examinations, the ministry plans to abolish the current statistical moderation process, allowing each examination to stand independently, while candidates’ actual scores would be used directly in compiling recruitment lists.

The proposals also include removing the current pass mark requirement, revising the structure and difficulty of examination papers, simplifying the process for specialisations that require candidates to sit multiple subject tests, such as philology, publishing sample examination papers in advance, providing targeted training for exam setters and strengthening quality assurance procedures.

The ministry also proposes holding the recruitment examinations every three years, or earlier if necessary, beginning in 2027.

The second part of the reform seeks to ensure there are enough teachers to fill both permanent vacancies and temporary positions after the appointment lists are abolished in 2027.

Under the proposal, recruitment would draw from both successful candidates on the eligibility lists and teachers with existing classroom experience, including permanent-term teachers, contract teachers and substitute teachers.

The ministry said the approach aims to make use of the existing teaching workforce while taking into account both candidates’ performance in the written examination and their previous teaching experience.