The Cyprus teachers union POED has alerted the Education Ministry to a catalogue of problems at Optional All-Day Schools, urging solutions before the next school year.
The union’s intervention carries particular weight, as the issues stem from research conducted at the schools, with problems recorded directly by school units and attached in full to POED’s letter to the ministry.
Parents routinely demand children leave before official closing time, wanting them to finish whenever convenient, creating unnecessary confrontations with staff, according to the complaints. Parents also frequently delay picking up children, whilst some repeatedly arrive late.
Children with disruptive or deviant behaviour attend afternoon sessions normally, some receiving morning support from school assistants, resulting in serious safety and health issues, the union said.
The 20-pupil limit per class creates classroom shortages. Kindergartens with two morning classes of 25 children in two rooms need three rooms in the afternoon, with no guidance provided for managing such cases. Age groups with large differences are mixed to fit numbers, making teachers’ work difficult and affecting teaching quality.
Children need more sports activities and games, schools reported. Use of rooms necessary for lessons is often not permitted.
Schools lack proper infrastructure for meals, with children eating at desks. Difficulties include money collection, finding caterers, menu planning and cooperation with parent associations. Some parent associations refuse to take on catering, whilst others demand leftover food be sent home despite instructions not to due to spoilage risk.
Managing allergies and special diets requires more guidance, the union said. Meal time clashes with staff meeting time, with staff shortages meaning fewer teachers than required supervise students.
Permanent morning teachers should have had administrative hours, the union said. Some schools are staffed entirely with newly-appointed teachers needing guidance in organisation, administration and teaching. Staffing primary schools with kindergarten teachers should be avoided.
Schools face understaffing from the start of all-day operations for long periods. Part-time contractors working 15 or 20 periods often go unreplaced for extended periods, making operations difficult and significantly burdening other teachers. Written instructions are needed for employing school assistants, who are difficult to find.
Administrative duties are numerous and not limited to form completion, yet administrative hours were not given to all schools, the union said. Such hours should be supernumerary positions with holders performing only administration, not direction duties simultaneously.
Administrative time for directors is very limited, with one period for full-time contractors considered insufficient. Some schools operate without directional responsibility, staffed only by one 20-hour part-time teacher. Directors lack a full picture of afternoon operations as they are not present.
The union called it unacceptable for direction responsibility to be assigned to inexperienced colleagues whilst experienced teachers, deputy directors and directors with many years service supervise meals, mark homework or teach lessons. The director position should be covered by the most senior and experienced teacher, POED said.
When staff are absent, formal replacements are needed. Covering gaps with directors or colleagues leaving their class is dangerous, especially in all-day schools where many sections operate, carrying serious risks for student safety. Having directors replace absent colleagues leaves the all-day programme leaderless, the union said.
Part-time contractors are not entitled to leave of absence. Work on 15-hour contracts is not attractive due to reduced income and partial service recognition, leaving schools understaffed for long periods through non-selection of contracts, non-selection of replacements when 15-hour staff are absent, and easy contract termination.
The union called for clarity on whether co-teaching is mandatory. Part-time contractors should be entitled to pay increments like full-time contractors, POED said. Under current practice, staff are placed from a reduced scale to A8 scale at 24 months service and remain fixed there.
Part-time contractors should be entitled to work morning replacements if needed, whilst morning zone replacements should be entitled to work afternoon zone replacements if needed, the union said.
POED submits positions and recommendations on the issues in its letter to the Education Minister.