Although the countdown to Christmas has already begun, the week starting tomorrow could, for the education sector, be described as a “Holy Week.” The reason is the upcoming discussion in parliament's plenary session on the new teacher evaluation plan.
This is an issue that has come up repeatedly over the past decade, with parliamentary parties now, as the reform appears ready to move forward, repeatedly amending and rewriting clauses of the bill submitted by the government. There are serious disagreements, both among political parties and, primarily, among teachers’ organisations, with POED announcing a two-hour strike next Thursday ahead of the plenary debate on 22 December. But what exactly is changing? Where does this need come from? And what constitutes a “red line” for teachers’ organisations?
Why it needs to change
Starting with the question of “why the teacher evaluation system needs to change,” the answer is clear: the current system was introduced in 1976 and is in no way capable of meeting the needs of schools in 2026.
The argument that the system is outdated is not based solely on local debates. Since 2013, the European Union Council has repeatedly urged Cyprus to implement this reform, highlighting the need to support newly qualified teachers, provide continuous professional development, strengthen the role of school principals, and make better use of experienced teachers in the classroom. Similar recommendations were made in 2017 and 2019, emphasising that evaluation cannot be limited to sporadic inspector visits. It must form part of a broader professional development framework, with clear criteria and evaluation of not only teachers but also the evaluators themselves.
Provisions of the bill
Until now, teacher evaluation has mainly been linked to promotion and relied on one or two classroom visits by an inspector. Under the new framework, as it currently stands, though changes may occur before its adoption, evaluation becomes a continuous, multi-layered process, with a clear separation of roles, more criteria, and formal safeguards. A key feature of the bill is the division of evaluation into formative and numerical (final) assessments.
Formative evaluation carries no grade and is not linked to promotions or salary progression. Its aim is to support and improve teachers through classroom observation, feedback, guidance, and training recommendations. Principals and adviser-inspectors are mainly involved, fulfilling an entirely pedagogical role.
Numerical evaluation relates to specific professional milestones, such as tenure, promotion, or competence assessment, and is not conducted routinely for all teachers. In numerical evaluation, the inspector-evaluator plays the primary role, while the principal’s contribution is limited to 15% (the original proposal was 30%, reduced to 20% by the Ministry of Education, then 15% by the Parliamentary Education Committee). For the first three years of the system’s transitional phase (the Ministry had proposed five), principals will not participate at all in numerical scoring. This provision will be reviewed by the Monitoring Committee.
Evaluation scale
The evaluation scale is also changing significantly, expanding from 1–40 to 1–100. The existing 1–40 scale will be retained solely for promotion purposes, while in other cases the scale is widened to avoid the current clustering of very high scores among the majority of teachers. At the same time, the threshold for a teacher to be deemed inadequate is lowered from 50% to 40%, both overall and in individual evaluation areas, without adversely affecting promotion processes, according to the Ministry.
The inspector
For the first time, the inspector’s role is explicitly divided between two individuals. The adviser-inspector has an exclusively pedagogical role, participating in formative evaluation, supporting teachers, providing feedback and recommendations, with no grading authority.
The evaluator-inspector is a different person and takes part in numerical evaluation. They are the only inspector to recommend grades in tenure or promotion procedures.
The two roles are never carried out by the same person for the same teacher, preventing conflicts of interest and clearly separating pedagogical support from evaluative judgment.
Senior teacher role
The institution of the senior teacher is one of the most significant, and at the same time controversial changes. This is an experienced teacher who remains in the classroom but takes on an enhanced role in pedagogical guidance, supporting colleagues, and participating in formative evaluation. According to the Ministry, 540 senior teacher positions will be created. Their pay scale will be higher than that of a standard teacher, without fully equating to an assistant principal, creating, for the first time, an alternative career path without moving into purely administrative positions. To qualify for a principal role, a teacher must have 12 years of service as a senior teacher and have completed a special preparation programme.
The bill also introduces a Secondary Appeals Body to handle cases of serious disagreement with evaluation results. This body will consist of a former judge and a former education official and, if discrepancies exceed 20% between evaluations, may assign a third evaluator.
Organisations’ responses
Although all three teachers’ organisations agree that the current evaluation system is outdated and needs reform, they raise serious objections to the bill as presented, arguing that it contains ambiguities, gaps, and provisions that could create more problems than it solves.
POED does not reject the need for reform but disagrees with key aspects of the bill. While it supports the senior teacher role, it expresses strong concerns about principals’ involvement in numerical evaluation, the change to the evaluation scale, and the lack of a clear, evidence-based implementation plan. It emphasises that without sufficient training, time, and support, the new system risks further burdening teachers and creating insecurity.
OELMEK considers the new system still punitive and competitive, with numerical evaluation remaining at the core, despite modifications. Particular concern is expressed about the roles of evaluator-inspectors and principals, with subjectivity not fully eliminated, creating conditions for teacher and school categorisation.
OLTEK raises reservations, noting that the reform was designed mainly for General Education and does not adequately account for the specifics of Technical and Vocational Education. Issues are identified in evaluation criteria, particularly regarding practical and laboratory teaching.
Commitments
According to the Ministry of Education, the bill must be passed before the end of 2025, as it is directly linked to Cyprus’s commitments to the EU. Minister Athina Michailidou states that the reform is a milestone in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, warning that any delay could jeopardise the disbursement of tens of millions of euros in European funding for education. Government sources add that, according to the Legal Service’s recommendations, the bill must be passed within the year to allow implementation from 2026.
Challenges
As the new teacher evaluation bill moves towards adoption under tight deadlines, a key question arises in public debate: Is the method of teacher evaluation truly the most pressing problem in public schools? Criticism from teachers, organisations, and political circles concerns not only the bill’s content but also the speed of its adoption, while schools are required to operate amid multiple, long-standing shortages.
Data shows that while modernising evaluation is necessary, it cannot be separated from the broader context of public education. The Parliamentary Education Committee’s findings, based on visits to dozens of schools across Cyprus, confirm this reality. Its report highlights persistent structural problems in public schools, including:
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Overcrowded schools.
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Severe building and infrastructure issues (poor maintenance, lack of fencing, absence of shelters, multipurpose rooms, and facilities for people with disabilities).
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Inadequate air conditioning.
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Shortages of support staff (school psychologists, aides, guards, etc.).
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Incidents of delinquency, vandalism, and bullying.
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Overcrowding in special schools, with a need for structures for students over 22.
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Technical education struggling to meet demand and requiring lab upgrades.
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Overloaded curricula and student transport issues.
Reform needed asap
Although public schools face multiple challenges, discussions on improving education in Cyprus cannot be separated from the role of teachers and the need to modernise their evaluation. This view is reinforced by the latest report from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, which notes that despite teachers in Cyprus earning some of the highest salaries in Europe, with an average annual wage exceeding €53,500, learning outcomes do not match these figures. The report concludes that the Cypriot education system requires modernisation and that any meaningful reform cannot proceed without updating the teacher evaluation system.