A Cyprus secondary school teacher is under investigation after an anonymous complaint accused him of making offensive and degrading remarks in front of his class about vulnerable pupils’ personal hygiene, their clothing and personal matters relating to each child individually.
The complaint was originally lodged with the Independent Authority against Corruption, which found it fell outside its remit but identified legislative violations by the teacher and forwarded it to the Ministry of Education and the Children’s Rights Commissioner.
In a statement, the Authority said the teacher’s alleged comments were made “in a particularly demeaning way, offending their dignity, affecting their psychology and creating a negative and anti-pedagogical climate in the classroom.”
It noted that the pupils “belong to vulnerable social groups, as they face personal or social difficulties and are children who need support, understanding and respect from educational staff — not sarcasm or public exposure.”
Education Minister Athena Michailidou has instructed a ministry official to investigate the complaint thoroughly, according to information received by Phileleftheros. A ministry source said the investigation is already under way with specific steps in place, and that a course of action will be decided once it is complete.
The ministry is handling two other recent complaints forwarded by the Authority against Corruption: one involving alleged staff links to public tenders, another concerning educators and ministry officials accused of coaching candidates ahead of teacher appointment exams.
Commissioner: School must be a place of safety
Children’s Rights Commissioner Elena Perikleous, contacted by Phileleftheros, urged caution about prejudging the case while making clear that even at the level of allegations, the issues raised were serious.
She said the Ministry of Education “has the responsibility to examine it with objectivity, impartiality and, above all, with respect for the rights of all those involved and especially the children.”
Comments touching on a child’s appearance or personal hygiene, she added, concern “matters that touch on dignity, self-image, the child’s sense of belonging and acceptance — and here we are not speaking only pedagogically. We are speaking clearly on a rights basis.”
Perikleous said school “is not simply a place of learning — it is a place of safety. A place where the child is not exposed, not diminished, not stigmatised.” She noted that regulations already provide established procedures, student councils and dialogue mechanisms designed to handle such matters with respect and discretion, but said the question was whether that mechanism “actually works in practice.”
She argued that complaints of this nature should never reach external authorities in a properly functioning system. “A modern, child-centred school must have — and must activate — the mechanisms to listen to the child. To take it seriously. To give space to its voice. And to resolve such situations early, before they escalate.”
Perikleous also cautioned that media coverage of such cases “can protect, but can also expose” and that public trust in the education system “is something very fragile.”
She called for calm, institutionally sound investigation and full respect for children’s privacy. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is not only to establish what happened. It is to ensure that every child, when they walk into a classroom, feels safe. Feels seen. Feels respected. And, above all, feels that they have worth.”