The Cyprus Turkish Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) held a protest ahead of October 5th, World Teachers’ Day, featuring banners criticising the government, Ministry of National Education, and the Turkish Embassy in Nicosia, Yeniduzen reports. A symbolic container-shaped cake was cut, representing the use of temporary classrooms, and “periskan” [pamphlets] were distributed.
KTOEÖS Secretary General Tahir Gökçebel criticised the state of schools, noting that 16 of 48 are unusable construction sites and that classes are held in containers. He also highlighted 65 vacant workshop supervisor positions and 285 unfilled department head roles, questioning the Ministry’s claim of building 26 new schools, which he said could collapse with the first rain. Gökçebel criticised the idea of implementing full-day education under such conditions and expressed doubts that ILO and UNESCO recommendations for teachers would be approved by Parliament.
KTOEÖS President Selma Eylem emphasised that the protest aimed to highlight the deteriorating state of public education and schools. She condemned the introduction of imams into schools, claiming it distanced children from science, criticised the reckless distribution of citizenship, and accused universities of becoming hubs for fake diplomas and human trafficking. Eylem also condemned the practice of hiring foreign teachers while local graduates remain unemployed.
She affirmed that teachers would resist oppression and continue their fight, warning those responsible for undermining the Turkish Cypriot community and its institutions. Eylem ended by marking World Teachers’ Day and acknowledging the important role of teachers in society. After the speeches, the container-shaped cake was cut.
