Thousands of children in Cyprus schools left without teachers due to a shortage of substitutes

The problem of a lack of substitute teachers has once again intensified in primary schools in Cyprus. Due to staff shortages, around 5,000 pupils across the island were forced to attend classes without a teacher.

As reported by the president of the Primary Education Teachers’ Federation (POED), Myria Vasiliou, the situation repeats itself year after year. Despite assurances from the Ministry of Education that the problem would be resolved, schools continue to face an acute shortage of staff.

According to the federation, difficulties with substitutions have been recorded daily since the beginning of the week.

On Monday, substitutes could not be found for more than 100 primary school teachers, as well as for teachers in preparatory and special classes.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the number of classes left without teachers exceeded 150 in regular schools and also affected dozens of preschool and special education classes.

POED warns that without systemic and long-term solutions, the staffing crisis in education will continue to recur, directly affecting the quality of education and the organization of the learning process.