In Limassol, Parents Threaten to Keep Children Home if Staffing Problems Aren’t Resolved

More than 6,000 parents of students in the Western Limassol municipality have stated they will not send their children to school on Friday if local school authorities do not address ongoing staffing and administrative issues. School management has been closed since Monday in protest over the lack of support from the ministry, leaving families without essential services. Despite this, gymnasiums, lyceums, and technical schools are officially scheduled to start classes on Friday.

The main issue is a severe shortage of supervisors, technical staff, and the absence of a sanitary inspector, making the operation of 25 schools nearly impossible. Schools, including kindergartens, fall under the local school authority responsible for personnel, paperwork, and family support, ensuring children can attend classes.

School administration president, Nerodotos Neophytou, described the situation as “unstable” in an interview with CyBC radio, noting that the educational system is under increasing pressure. He emphasized that institutions have operated temporarily for many years, and after meetings with the director-general and five supervisors, the situation remained unchanged. Despite increased workload, staff numbers have not grown.

Neophytou also noted that kindergartens are not formally recognized as full educational units.

Minister of Education Athena Michailidu called the administration’s actions “vindictive” and sent an unprepared supervisor, who now has to be trained by the staff themselves — a point of particular criticism.

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Problems are compounded by communication breakdowns: supervisors do not answer calls and cannot schedule meetings. As a result, some offices had to close because negotiations failed. “We can’t wait any longer,” said Neophytou.

The Ministry of Education stated it is aware of staffing issues and has taken steps to increase supervisor hours. However, complete replacement of resigned staff is limited by overall personnel shortages. The ministry urged the administration to return to work immediately and start dialogue for the well-being of students.

Neophytou emphasized that parents support the administration, who since Monday, after the announcement, have actively backed this initiative: “If we hadn’t, they would have done it themselves, because the situation became unbearable.” He explained that the closure was a necessary measure after repeated promises and attempts at dialogue that brought no change. The administration faced “acute housing problems at all levels” and now also staffing shortages. Neither, in their view, can continue.

According to Neophytou, the reform brought a significant increase in responsibilities — the number of schools increased, but the number of supervisors decreased from five and a half to five, despite the rise in educational institutions.