In the TRNC, only one vacancy has been opened for 19 needed special education teacher positions

Special education teachers in Northern Cyprus have issued a public statement: although 19 teachers are needed in this field, only one vacancy has been opened.

The figures were cited by the Turkish Cypriot Secondary School Teachers’ Trade Union (KTOEÖS). According to the union, candidates spend years preparing for appointment exams, while children with special needs remain without access to quality education. The union demanded that the number of vacancies be increased, stating that it expects “transparency and fairness” and that the teacher shortage must be addressed immediately.

The teachers themselves describe the situation as follows: “Those who have not been appointed are helpless because they cannot obtain a position; those who have been appointed are helpless in the face of systemic problems. In other words, the system has rotted from beginning to end.” According to them, children with special needs, their families and the teachers themselves are suffering the most.

The teachers link what is happening to a broader problem — the departure of young people. They say that the space for those who work, think and create something is gradually closing, leaving two options: to continue the precarious struggle for survival or to leave and apply their knowledge in another country.

The teachers note that they have raised these issues repeatedly, but are not being heard. For its part, the union called for an increase in the number of announced positions and for the staffing shortage in special education to be eliminated as a matter of priority.