The new teacher and educational work evaluation system approved by parliament on 22 December will not take full effect until the 2028-2029 school year, but its transitional period begins immediately, with several key measures taking effect from the start of 2026.
A monitoring committee will meet for the first time in January, chaired by Marios Panagidis, General Director of the Education Ministry, according to information obtained by Phileleftheros. The committee will include ministry directors and representatives from teacher organisations.
The first phase of implementation will include finalising timelines for the reform’s gradual rollout based on recently approved parliamentary regulations, sources said.
The ministry will establish both a monitoring committee to advise on implementation and a meta-evaluation committee to ensure the system achieves its objectives. Work on meta-evaluation tools and procedures will begin immediately, according to ministry plans.
A key development is the creation of the Senior Educator position, which did not exist in the previous evaluation system.
Teachers with at least 12 years’ experience will be eligible to apply for the role, which carries a salary equivalent to the assistant director scale but involves no administrative duties.
Senior Educators will remain classroom teachers whilst also mentoring colleagues who need support.
The ministry will finalise the Senior Educator service plan and evaluation criteria in collaboration with teacher organisations.
Training and information sessions for teachers about the new system are scheduled for the first half of 2026. The ministry also plans meetings with teacher organisations to discuss additional requests.
Teacher unions POED and OELMEK, which opposed specific provisions in the regulations, maintain their disagreements.
Both organisations have approved decisions, including potential dynamic measures, but their collective bodies will not meet to discuss next steps until after the holidays.