The Turkish Cypriot Secondary Education Teachers’ Union (KTOEÖS) and the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ Union (KTÖS) recently voiced their concerns through a press statement and a sit-in protest in front of the Public Service Commission (KHK). Their main grievance was the lack of appointments and transfers by the Ministry of National Education and Culture and the KHK, Yeniduzen reports.
During the protest, union members were barred from entering the KHK building, prompting them to stage the sit-in protest outside the premises. Burak Maviş, the Secretary General of KTÖS, highlighted the dire situation in schools, likening them to other overcrowded facilities such as prisons and hospitals. He emphasised that teachers, who face an unknown student population with daily new enrolments, were exhausted. Maviş also lamented the shortage of school principals and assistant principals, despite efforts such as delayed exam announcements.
He further addressed the concerns of parents regarding the replacement of promoted 5th-grade teachers, underscoring the need for urgent action. The union’s President, Selma Eylem, criticised the Decree Law’s handling of education matters, accusing it of politicising education and neglecting staff shortages in schools.
Despite attempts by unionists to enter the KHK building for their sit-in protest, they were denied entry by the police, citing the need for permission. Unionists argued that as a public building, they should be allowed access without prior authorisation. However, their efforts were thwarted, leading them to conduct the protest outside the KHK building.
