1 THE CYPRUS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW Presented by Professor Petros Pashiardis Prepared by Dr. Andreas Tsiakkiros Open University of Cyprus 14 December, 2015

2 HISTORICAL MOMENTS  1960: Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus  1960: Free primary education  1964: Inter-communal problems  1972: Free secondary education  1974: Turkish invasion  1992: University of Cyprus  2004: Accession to the EU

3 THE MOEC’S VISION AND VALUES  Vision: The formulation of literate citizens with skills, responsibility, democratic ethos, historical identity as well as respect for diversity - citizens with a wholesome personality, capable to creatively contribute to the development of society and to cope with the challenges of the future, as well as to the improvement of citizens’ quality of life through education and culture  Values: Integrity and respect, teamwork, effectiveness and efficiency, accountability, active citizenship, effective communication, service to society

4 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Centralised educational management Highest authority of the Ministry of Education and Culture: the Minister followed by the Permanent Secretary Education is offered into four main stages Other departments and services help the overall functioning of the system

5 MINISTER ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE PEDAGO- GICAL INSTITUTE CENTRE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND EVALUATION CULTURAL SERVICES OTHER SERVICES AND UNITS PRIMARY EDUCATION HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SECONDARY EDUCATION CYPRUS RESEARCH CENTRE ADMINISTRATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE UNIT ACCOUNTS OFFICE PERMANENT SECRETARY TECHNICAL SERVICES COUNSELING AND CAREER EDUCATION SERVICE CURRICULUM DEVELOP- MENT UNIT EDUCATIONAL PSYCOLOGY SERVICE EU & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICE STATE INSTITUTES OF FURTHER EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION CENTRES EXAMINATIONS SERVICE POLICY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING UNIT CYPRUS LIBRARY ICT UNIT

6 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MINISTRY  Management of education  Implementation of educational laws  Preparation of educational bills  Prescription of curricula and textbooks  Regulation and supervision of educational institutions  Construction of school buildings  Maintenance and equipment: shared responsibility with School Boards  Public education is financed by the Government

7 EDUCATIONAL SERVICE COMMISSION A five member independent body appointed by the Council of Ministers for a period of six years The Commission is responsible for:  Appointments  Promotions  Transfers  Secondments  Disciplinary matters  Retirements Currently teachers are appointed through a new system and not a waiting list as used to be the case (in February 2015 there were candidates for the three levels of education)

8 PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS  Owned, administered and financed by individuals or bodies  All pupils attending private schools pay fees  Registered with and supervised by the Ministry of Education and Culture  Comply with certain curriculum and facility requirements mandated by the Law for Private Education

9 PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION  Pre-primary education is considered to be fundamental for the development of children’s personality  Education is provided from the age of 3 years old  Since 2004, it is compulsory and free for one year prior to attending the primary school  Three types of kindergartens: public, communal and private

10 PRIMARY EDUCATION  Primary education lays the foundation for the harmonious development of pupils  It aims to create and secure the necessary learning opportunities for all pupils  Six-year free and compulsory  Annual grants to School Boards for schools’ functioning and maintenance  Schools in every town and village with 15+ pupils  Class size: 25 pupils maximum

11 SECONDARY EDUCATION  LOWER (GYMNASIUM) Basic general education that is compulsory for three years For the current school year a new timetable has been introduced  UPPER – 3 year cycle UNIFIED LYCEUM  Changes are taking place since pupils’ need to choose their Subject Orientation Electives TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION  A strategic planning for TVET covering the years has been approved by the Council of Ministers, in April 2015

12 PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTE The Institute offers:  Compulsory in-service training  Optional courses  Are offered centrally and are held during the afternoon  Meet the professional needs of teachers  Emphasis on action research at the school  Seminars/workshops/conferences  Considering teachers’ needs, the MOEC’s priorities and new trends  School-based training  Emphasis on the development of schools through intervention programmes

13 HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION  The Government’s policy aims to fulfill the local needs and to establish Cyprus as a regional educational and research centre  The system is shaped by the European Higher Education Area as outlined by the Bologna Process  Higher Education consists of the public and private institutions at the university and non- university levels  The number of students in Cyprus is increasing rapidly over the last ten years (during the last three years, the number of Cypriot students studying in Cyprus has started to exceed those studying abroad)

SOME NUMERICAL DATA (number of pupils and teaching personnel in school education in ) 14 Type (public) Number of schools Number of pupils Number of teachers Pupil/ teacher ratio Kindergartens :1 Primary schools :1 Gymnasia (lower secondary) :1 Unified lycea (upper secondary) 45 Technical schools :1 TOTAL

15 SOME NUMERICAL DATA (number of students and teaching personnel in higher and tertiary education in ) Type Number of students Teaching personnel Student/ teacher ratio Public universities :1 Private universities :1 Public non-university tertiary education :1 Private non- university tertiary education :1 TOTAL

FUNDING OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM 16  The expenditure for both public and private education is very high  The provisional public expenditure on education in 2013 is estimated to 6,5% of the GDP  Other sources of funding: European programmes, European Social Fund, European Investment Bank, Council of Europe Development Bank

17 EDUCATIONAL REFORM  The Government has launched an ambitious educational reform programme in 2005  The aim is to turn into reality the vision of a better educational system that would meet pupils’ future needs and society’s challenges in the 21 st century  The participation of all stakeholders in the dialogue has been an innovative feature which aims at building consensus to the highest possible extent and the continuity of policy  The democratic and human-centered school is the desirable type of school for the pupils of Cyprus

18 INNOVATIONS INTRODUCED  Introduction of new curricula from pre- primary to lower secondary education  Introduction of new timetables for primary and secondary education  Establishment of optional and unified all-day schools  Measures for dealing with pupil delinquency  Policy for multicultural education  Operation of Post-Secondary Institutes for Technical and Vocational Education and Training

19 INNOVATIONS INTRODUCED (2)  Establishment of the Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation  Establishment of new universities/changing the setting of higher education  New systems for appointment and professional learning of teachers  Establishment of the Policy and Strategic Planning Unit - Preparation of the MOEC’s Strategic Plan  … and others

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