The Cyprus Educational System, in its present form, is very much related and it is the outcome of the developments that established the Republic of Cyprus in 1960. In this context the legal framework, the structure, the material and building infrastructure, the curriculum, the staffing and the practices are the outcome of the effort of the country to raise the quality and create the necessary background needed to respond to the demands and challenges of the society. The system reflects the dynamic elements of the Cyprus society and, in spite of the problems it faces, and the Ministry of Education and Culture is promoting a series of measures that improve the quality of education and contribute to the development of the country. Needless to say that the System does not face any substantial quantitative problems.

The Educational system of the country is open to a range of influences that create the momentum for changes and adaptations and form the scene for actions and measures. The main determinants in this process are the following:

1. The challenges in the international context. These include the developments in Science and Technology, the new order that is established by the developments in Information Technology and the creation of the Information Society and the internationalisation of the economic and social life. The country cannot neglect these elements as its economy is increasingly based on the tertiary sector and its human resources.

2. The Government’s policy and orientations. In the directions that are forming the basis for the proposals for the new strategic 5-year action plan for the period 1999-2003. the government considers as vital the following elements:

The need for stability, social justice and development.

The restructuring of the economy and the increase of the competitiveness of the country.

The upgrading of Cyprus as an international centre of services.

The quality of life and the environmental consciousness.

The Information Society.

In the achievement of all these elements education is considered as one of the basic contributing factors and as a consequence it has to be adapted and restructured so that it takes into account the new demands.

3. The social values and demands of the people of Cyprus. Education is considered as a means for social mobility and consequently it is of high esteem. There is a very high proportion of attendance in higher education and illiteracy is practically nil.

Educational administration is centralised. The highest authority for educational policy making is the Council of Ministers. Overall responsibility for education rests with the Ministry of Education (extended in 1994 over Culture as well). However, a small number of vocational and post-secondary institutions come under the Ministries of Labour and Social Insurance, Agriculture and Health.

The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the administration of education, the enforcement of education laws and, in co-operation with the Office of the Attorney General, the preparation of education bills. The bills are tabled for debate and approval by the House of Representatives.

Appointments, secondments, transfers, promotions and discipline of the teaching personnel and the inspectorate are the responsibility of the Education Service Commission, a five-member body appointed by the President of the Republic for a period of six years.

The construction of school buildings is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture while their maintenance is undertaken by the local School Boards in collaboration with the Technical Services of the Ministry. The responsibility for equipment of school buildings is shared by the Ministry and the local School Boards.

Overall Planning is done by the Planning Bureau, an independent authority of the Republic. Similar planning is done by all ministries, which offer post-secondary specialised education. Their development policies are first submitted to the Planning Bureau, which comments on them before these policies are forwarded to the Council of Ministers for final approval.

The Ministry of Education invites suggestions on its policies by the Educational Council, a widely representative body consisting of representatives of other government bodies, the Church, the parliamentary Committee for education, the Parents’ Associations, the Teachers’ Associations and seven community members known for their keen interest in educational matters.

Public education is mainly financed by the Government either directly or through allotments to local authorities or School Boards while private education is supported by individuals and governing bodies. Private foreign language schools might be assisted by affiliated overseas authorities and organisations.

Public and community pre-primary education is supervised and partially financed by the Government.

Primary and lower secondary education is compulsory up to the age of fifteen (15). Public primary education is free. The government provides the means for the public schools and awards annual grants to local authorities to undertake their responsibilities. In the public sector, financing covers every educational need including the free provision of books.

Public secondary education is also free. In the case of general secondary education, financial provisions are the responsibility of the government either directly or through the School Boards (by awarding grants to them). Financing of technical and vocational secondary schools is the direct responsibility of the Government. Financing covers every educational need including the free provision of the majority of the textbooks that are used.

Pre-school education

Following the island’s invasion by Turkey in 1974, pre-school education expanded rapidly in Cyprus in response to social needs brought about by the post-invasion population redistribution. Today there is a well-established pre-primary education system with state kindergarten institutions supported by community and parental involvement as well as private pre-schools, (Nursery schools), serving approximately 75% of the child population aged 3,0 - 5,5.

State kindergarten schools cater for approximately 64% of pre-schoolers of middle or low-income families. Admission criteria are based on yearly income and family status (working, single-parent or refugee families). Private kindergarten schools cater for children not accommodated in the government sector.

State kindergarten schools fall into two categories: public and community institutions. Public kindergarten schools are staffed and subsidised by the state. The remaining running cost is undertaken by parents, who, in consultation with local authorities, also provide the building facilities. Community kindergarten schools are subsidised by the state, however, the local authorities are responsible for recruiting staff and providing the building facilities.

Drawing on the government policy to provide pre-school children with equal educational opportunities, there has been a recent trend to establish regional kindergarten schools in rural areas. The existing regulations provide that a kindergarten school can be established in a community if there are at least 15 children in it. The maximum number of children in each group cannot exceed 30 if children are of the ages 4,5 to 5,5, 26 if children are of the ages 3,5 to 4,5 and 23 if children are of the ages 3,0 to 3,5.

Primary Education

Being compulsory for children aged five-and-eight months, primary education is provided free of charge and with no entrance requirements in public primary schools (Dimotika Scholeia) available throughout the country, even in remote areas. A small number of private primary schools entail fees and cater to foreign nationals and native residents who opt for a particular foreign language as the basis of instruction for their children. All private schools are subject to supervision and inspection by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Primary schools are co-educational and provide mixed-ability teaching. In urban areas and large rural schools, Cyprus has adopted single-grade classes, while small communities are catered for by multi-grade classes. Teachers are allocated in such a way that in no case will any one teacher have responsibility for more than 34 pupils.

In rural areas, primary schools are available in every town or village with a minimum number of 15 pupils. Outreach communities with fewer than 15 pupils have area schools serving them in special set ups:

number of pupils per teacher does not exceed 34 (for grade 1, 32 pupils).

Secondary education, whether public or private, encompasses a large sector of the educational structure in the government-controlled area of the Cyprus Republic. Once a privilege of the few residing in urban areas, secondary education is now compulsory for children through to the age of fifteen and accessible to both urban and rural or outreach communities alike.

Private Secondary Education is offered by a number of non-profit and profit-making secondary establishments ranging from missionary boarding schools to vocationally-oriented institutions and foreign language centres offering tuition in specialised fields. Funded by overseas organisations and/or religious denominations and local entrepreneurs, private secondary schools offer students the opportunity to pursue qualifications that would ensure:

a. their smooth transition into the professional sphere or the business world;

b. their admission to overseas Universities or local tertiary education

establishments of their choice for diploma or degree studies.

Although private secondary schools maintain a considerable degree of independence in their operation and curricula, the majority of them are registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture and comply with certain curriculum and facility requirements mandated by law.

Curriculum programmes for most private secondary schools extend over a six-year period with emphasis on general education for the first three years. Foreign language schools have six- or seven-year curriculum programmes with English, French, Italian or Arabic as the basic languages of instruction. A few private secondary schools are attached to primary schools providing an integrated twelve- or thirteen-year programme. There are no entrance examinations except in certain foreign language schools.

Public secondary education offers a six-year programme of instruction for children aged twelve to eighteen. Having a general education orientation, it is compulsory for the first three years until children reach their fifteenth birthday. In the last three years, it follows a more flexible and diverse orientation, catering to individual inclinations, aptitudes and interests. Attendance is compulsory for the successful completion of graduation requirements.

Drawing on a rich cultural and religious heritage in a blend of turmoil, tempering on moral and value conflict as a result of a series of colonial rulers and the long-drawn Turkish occupation and expansionist intentions on the island, public secondary education has come a long way since colonial rule, from its crude stages to its present quantitative and qualitative status. Considering the socio-economic, cultural and national needs of Cyprus, public secondary education offers equal opportunities for education and aims at promoting friendship and co-operation between the various communities of the country. The philosophy underlying public secondary education is two-fold:

A. the dissemination of knowledge with emphasis on general education and a gradual transition to specialisation in order to prepare students for an academic, professional or business career

B. the development of a sound morally refined personality in order to provide society with competent, democratic and law-abiding citizens.

Covering a range from general education to specialised academic and vocational Turkish occupation and accommodation of the children of displaced families settled in the government-controlled area.

School buildings are primarily used by one set of pupils attending secondary education and the length of the school day is 7:30 am to 1:35 p.m. Studies based on statistical data projecting future needs allow ample time for new school buildings to cater for any increase in demand. However, the same buildings are used for non-formal education programmes operating in the afternoons and evenings as follows:

A. Each major town runs one evening high school programme offered to adults wishing to acquire and/or complete their secondary education.

B. The State Institutes of Further Education run afternoon and evening programmes offered to primary and secondary school pupils as well as adults wishing to pursue intensive studies in foreign languages, computer science, Greek for non-native speakers and subjects required for entry to university.

The academic year commences on 1st September and ends on 31st August. It is divided into three trimester terms (10 Sept.-10 Dec., 10 Dec-10 March, 10 March-31 May). Lessons begin on 10th September and end on 31st May. They run on a five-day week, seven periods of 45? duration per day. June is the month for examinations.

Classes are organised according to age: however, regardless of age, pupils must achieve a minimum level of competence to proceed from one class to another. In the upper division, due to specialization programmes, a number of classes in the last two years are subdivided into subject-oriented groups for certain periods per week.

Forty-five-minute lessons involving teacher-pupil interaction with whole-class participation, group and pair work are enriched with updated textbooks and audio-visual materials. Special projects encouraging self-study and teamwork are launched on special topics of interest relevant to the yearly educational aim set by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Prescribed subject textbooks corresponding to the syllabi for each class are supplemented by other teaching aids and materials produced by the Curriculum Development Unit or selected by teachers independently.

There has been a growing interest in linking secondary schools with the business world in an effort to provide students with an opportunity to experience actual work conditions in the field of their interest. A pilot project initiated in 1986/88 to accomplish this objective has been adopted with success: seventeen year-old students in the second year of Lyceum work for one week in a factory, firm, office, bank, hospital, farm or other establishment of their choice.

Educational and vocational guidance is provided on a continuous basis by specially assigned counsellors in each school. Intervention to tackle emotional problems faced by pupils from dysfunctional families is also the task of the counsellor who makes referrals and maintains close contacts with community resources on a continuous basis.

Lower Secondary School (Gymnasium) caters for pupils aged twelve to fifteen and offers a broad spectrum of general education. A public primary school leaving certificate is required for entrance to the Gymnasium. Private foreign-language primary school leavers must undergo a battery of entrance examinations to enter public secondary schools. Uniformity and coherence in the syllabus allows for a smooth transition from primary school to the world of secondary education. In the last year of the Gymnasium, vocational guidance offers pupils an opportunity to familiarise themselves with career prospects, explore academic options after successful completion of the Gymnasium, and thus select the field or combination of studies they wish to follow in the upper division.

Upper Secondary School (Lykio), open to all pupils who have successfully completed the Gymnasium, offers diversity and encompasses three distinct programme curricula, all leading to a school leaving certificate, ‘APOLYTIRION ’:

A. The Lyceum (Lykio) ‘L??’ i.e. ‘Subject Selection Lyceum’ offers pupils a three-year programme with three categories of subjects which are structured in five streams or combinations and include compulsory core subjects, specialisation and supplementary subjects. Pupils select a combination upon registration at Lyceum.

Combination I focuses on classical studies.

Combination II focuses on mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Combination III focuses on economics and mathematics.

Combination IV focuses on clerical skills and accounting.

Combination V focuses on foreign languages and social studies.

Academic and vocational guidance provided by full-time counsellors throughout the pupil’s attendance at Lyceum both in class sessions and on a personal basis upon request, allows pupils to become oriented with prospective employment opportunities and explore their aptitudes and aspirations in order to pursue the most suitable specialisation and supplementary subjects in their second and third year of attendance.

The Technical School

Technical and vocational education comprises of seventeen specialisations, most of them preparing pupils for qualifications in various industrial and technical fields and a few catering to the service sector. It includes two streams:

a. the technical stream with more time allocated to theoretical subjects, mathematics and physics than to workshop practice.

b. the vocational stream focusing on workshop practice and mainly aiming at training craftsmen.

The Ministry of Education and Culture maintains close contact with the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance in order to promote flexibility in the programmes offered at technical/vocational schools based on the needs and demands of local industries. The Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance also undertakes the administration of the ‘Apprenticeship Scheme’ (Systima Mathitias) on technical school premises. This is an informal type of training fifteen to eighteen-year olds. Trainees in the A.S. are employed in industry and acquire training as general education on a day-release basis for a period of three years.

The Eniaio Lykio (A comprehensive Upper Secondary School)

In an effort to eliminate a widespread prejudice towards technical/vocational education and to effect qualitative changes in the sphere of secondary education to meet the growing demands for mobility and flexibility within the boundaries of a United Europe, proposals of an ad hoc committee resulted in the new concept of ‘the Eniaio Lykio’.

Currently implemented in three selected urban schools the Eniaio Lykio is a pilot project aimed at integrating the general education programme and the technical/vocational branch. The integration of secondary education is intended to render lyceum education consistent with modern trends, especially those prevalent in the European Community and to broaden curricula in order to enhance the relevance of education to the real world.

The Eniaio Lykio aims at

a. offering pupils the opportunity to develop all aspects of their capabilities through modern general and specific scientific and technological knowledge, methods and media, so that they can respond to a changing world and adapt to an evolving work environment.

b. linking the school with the outside world thus offering the pupils opportunities to familiarise themselves with the world of work and production in order to plan their career more effectively whether they aim at being employed, venturing into entrepreneurship or pursuing higher education.

c. expanding curricula and offering programmes with diversity and flexibility, incorporating the selection of individual subjects as opposed to combinations of subjects, and deferring specialisation.

There has been a major innovation in the curricula of general secondary education with the introduction of the ‘unified nine-year curriculum’ aiming at easing the transition of pupils from primary to lower-secondary schools.

Lower Secondary education (Gymnasium) has a general education curriculum, which is compulsory.

According to 1991-92 statistics, 99.3% of the pupils who graduated from primary school enrolled in secondary education. Pupils attend compulsory secondary education through to their fifteenth birthday. Approximately 90% of these complete the third year and are eligible for upper-division secondary education options. Except for a small 4% of failures and dropouts, 21% of these opt for the technical/vocational stream.

About 60% of all secondary school leavers continue their studies beyond secondary level. 34% of these attend higher education institutions in Cyprus and the remaining 26% attend higher education institutions abroad. 36.4% tertiary education students attend public institutions whereas 63.6% attend private institutions in Cyprus and abroad.

The pupil teacher ratio according to 1994-95 statistics is:

14.1 for secondary general education

8.0 for secondary technical/vocational education.

13.6 for secondary private education.

Third-level education is provided in three different types of institutions: university, public third-level schools, colleges or institutes, and private third-level schools, colleges or institutes. Organisation and admission procedures vary depending on the type of institution and the objectives of the educational programmes they provide.

The University of Cyprus was established as a corporate body in July 1989 by Law No. 144/1989 enacted by the House of Representatives.

There are also eight (8) public third-level education institutions offering sub-degree level programmes in Technical Engineering, Forestry, Hotel and Catering, Nursing and other vocations and one institution offering postgraduate programmes in Management. These institutions function under the supervision of various Ministries and award their own diplomas.

The number of students admitted to these institutions is limited and therefore the selection of candidates is based on the applicants’ success in the entrance examinations.

In most of the public higher education institutions there are no fees for local students

There are also twenty private third-level education schools, colleges and institutes registered with the Ministry of Education and Culture, which offer a wide range of programmes of study leading to a diploma.

The goal has always been the quantitative expansion and qualitative development of kindergartens. The qualitative development is pursued through the differentiation of the curriculum and the instructional approaches, as well as through the in-service training of kindergarten teachers. The quantitative expansion has been pursued through two development plans:

1. Expansion of the number of public kindergartens.
2. Expansion of the number of community kindergartens, with the purpose of fully covering the number of children between the ages of 3-5 1/2 years old.
3. During the 1989-99 decade, 37 new public kindergartens and 38 new community kindergartens were established, while the number of private kindergartens decreased by 20.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for these targets, as it seeks to carry out the decisions of the Council of Ministers and the plans made by the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Bureau (see table 1).

Including non qualified personnel

The implementation of the policy for the development of Pre-Primary Education can be considered to a certain extent satisfactory. The plan of action is decided by the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Bureau in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and is a part of the general financial policy of the Government. The Ministry of Education monitors progress through the in-service training of the teaching staff, through procedures for supervision and evaluation, as well as through preparing and publishing books for the kindergarten.

The basic learning needs that have been identified mainly concern the emotional/social development of the children and the development of their language skills. Other basic learning needs concern Environmental and Health Education, as well as Aesthetic development. No specific target groups have been identified, except for the children with special needs, for whom efforts are being made for their full or partial integration in mainstream classrooms.

The Ministry of Education and Culture makes specific suggestions regarding policy measures and plans of action for Pre-Primary Education. However, the final decisions are taken by the Council of Ministers, although the Ministry of Education is responsible for co-ordinating and organising the implementation of the suggested policy measures.

As far as Pre-Primary Education is concerned, there is close co-operation between the Ministry of Education and Culture, Parents’ Associations, local authorities and private or non-profitable organisations. The Ministry of Education is exclusively responsible for the strategies and plans of action, although there is a dialogue and co-operation with the various groups (parents-educators) and through the Education Committee of the Parliament.

Regarding the changes in public expenditure on Pre-Primary education, the following tables 2, 2a, 2b, 3 are indicative of the increases as they are shown in the annual government budget.

Note: The salaries of Head Teachers and Deputy Head Teachers of Kindergartens are included in those of Primary Education.

B. Funding of public Kindergartens for the purchase of equipment

The expansion of kindergartens was postponed due to financial difficulties, as well as due to the limited number of kindergarten teachers. The financial problems will continue to exist, but only as far as public kindergartens are concerned. The government policy is the expansion of community and not of public kindergartens, as shown in the strategic development plan for Pre-Primary Education.

1. Public support and demand for basic education is very strong. There is evidence that the Government is determined to implement the goals of the strategic plan, especially regarding the expansion of community kindergartens. Direct evidence of this is the increase of the annual amount of government money provided to community kindergartens, as well as the encouragement of the local authorities and parents’ associations for the establishment and operation of new community kindergartens.
2. Obstacles that have a negative influence on the implementation of specific measures:

• The teachers who work in private kindergartens receive low salaries.
• Due to the number of qualified kindergarten teachers who work in Primary Education, the number of qualified teachers for employment in the private kindergartens is limited.
• There is much intrusion by local authorities and parents’ associations.
• There is a shortage of suitable school buildings.
• The expansion of public kindergartens has been postponed/terminated.

Expansion of Pre-Primary Education, with the purpose of covering children of age 3 - 5 and 8 months old, without necessarily expanding the public sector.

Target dimensions:

• Universal access to, and completion of, primary education by the year 2000
• Improvement in learning achievement

This report follows the suggested outline for country E.F.A Reports. However in the development of its structure it is adapted to fit the particular situation in Cyprus. Within this adaptation some special factors such as the social content of Education, school community interactions, the integration of children with special needs, the recruitment, training and promotion of teachers’ etc are examined.

An important feature to be identified in this assessment is the size of the government-controlled area of Cyprus. It is an area of approximately 600,000 people, homogeneous in terms of language, culture, religious and social aspiration. It is smaller than an administrative educational authority in England. The big difference, however, is that the educational administration is not the responsibility of a local authority in a de-centralized system but of the Ministry of Education in a highly centralized system.

The highest authority in educational policy-making is the council of Ministers (Cabinet). The Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration of education, the enforcement of educational laws, the preparation of educational bills and the prescription of syllabuses, curricula and textbooks. The teaching personnel and the inspectorate are appointed, transferred and promoted by the "Educational Service Commission", an independent five-members body, appointed for a six year period by the president of the Republic.

Another important feature to be noticed is the high value that the community sets on education and the willingness of parents and the population in general to make a substantial contribution to education through the Parent's Associations. As a consequence of this feature the education system is further supported as well as serving as a supplement to government care. This results in orderly and disciplined, well-run schools supported by well-organised central government agencies.

The general purpose of education in Cyprus is the development of free and democratic citizens with a fully developed personality, mentally and morally refined, healthy, active and creative, who will contribute generally with their work and their conscientious activity to the social, scientific, economic and cultural progress of our country and to the understanding, respect and love among individuals and people for the prevalence of freedom and peace.

The objectives of education as they relate to the possibilities, interests and social, cultural and educational needs of the population are the following:

The promotion of equal educational opportunities

The creation of democratic citizens

The assimilation of the spiritual, cultural and other achievements as well as other sound elements of the past

The procedure to new achievements in all domains of social activity and the maximization of the contribution for a better world

The provision of specialised education after a common general education for both vertical and horizontal ability and personal and professional development.

Ensuring that all the students in Cyprus have access to and complete all the levels of Primary Education constitutes i.e. a major goal of education in Cyprus. The main purposes of Primary Education focus on improving and promoting the quality of education according to the challenges of the future. In a continuously changing world, the aims of Primary Education are the wholistic development of the child’s promotion of positive attitudes towards learning, mutual understanding and tolerance, the respect of civilization and culture, human rights and the humanistic ideals of freedom, democracy and justice.

Apart from the aim of quantitative coverage of Primary Education, which has been already completely achieved, the goal of qualitative improvement is also considered of utmost importance for the educational system in Cyprus. In addition, the increase of the educational and financial efficiency of thresholds and the satisfaction of structural requirements are strongly promoted.

Maximizing the students’ performance holds a central part in the stated goals and practice of our education, and, along with the universal access and completion of Primary Education, is also related to the objective of democratisation, as it aims at helping all students develop their learning skills. Democratisation is defined as respect for the dignity and uniqueness of each individual (Individualisation of instruction), respect for the opinion of the majority, opportunities for participation in the decision-making process, encouragement of co-operation and responsibility and equality and equality of opportunity in all aspects of social life.

As mentioned above, the quantitative of universal access to and completion of Primary Education had been already fulfilled. According to the Education Acts for Elementary Education, Primary School means a state school financed and administered by the Government, which provides six year compulsory schooling to children who complete 5 years and 8 months of age.

Compulsory education was introduced in 1962. In practice, Primary Education has been universal since 1945. Thus, law 12|1965 for compulsory schooling confirmed what was already the case. As a result, the main features of the agreed EFA strategy focused on the qualitative improvement of the educational system in Cyprus.

Due to the fact that universal access to Primary Education had already been achieved, as well as to other factors such as the centralised nature of the educational system, the strategy for meeting the EFA goals was not determined by any particular committee or person. Instead, the decision making process for determining the plan to meet the EFA objectives was assigned to the Ministry of Education. Thus, no special EFA committee had been organised, but the matter was incorporated into the already existing administrative structure, which had been considered effective and relevant enough to undertake this task. The administrative structure of the Ministry of Education is analysed in the following section, which focuses on EFA decision-making and management.

The Primary learning needs that were targeted in the period 1990-2000 within the EFA framework concentrate on providing students with the necessary skills and knowledge for allowing them to face successfully the various problems and challenges they will have to deal with in the future. In addition to the goals on literacy and numeracy, basic education in Cyprus acknowledges the significance of learning needs that cover a wide variety of issues.

Specifically, the learning needs that basic education in Cyprus aims at, cover the subjects of Modern Greek Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Environmental studies, Religious studies, History, Geography, Civics education, Science, English as a foreign language, Music, Physical Education, Art, Design and Technology, Home Economics and Health Education. In addition, major emphasis is placed on the programme "I get to Know, I do not forget, I struggle against the occupation". The purpose of this programme is to keep alive the memory of the part of Cyprus that has been occupied by the Turks since they invaded the island in 1974, and to foster and strengthen optimism, confidence and militancy for freedom and return.

The educational plan of action in Cyprus has also dealt with the identification of particular target groups. As a result, there has been special concern for the education of children with special needs, immigrant children, as well as adults with literacy problems.

The educational strategies of Cyprus have been considerably reviewed and revised within this decade. An annotated list of major educational reform measures, campaigns and legislative actions is annexed to the report.

Recently, a special committee that consists of the Director of Primary Education, the Inspector of Adult Education Centres and a Primary School Inspector has been appointed with the task of consulting and deciding on the major EFA policy matters. As mentioned above, in previous years the Ministry of Education dealt with these matters, since educational administration is centralised.

According to Law 12|1965, Pre-primary, Primary, Secondary and some sections of post-secondary education are under the authority of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the highest authority in education policy-making being the Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the administration of education, the enforcement of education laws and, in co-operation with the Office of the Attorney General, the preparation of education bills.

Appointments, secondments, transfers and promotions, and discipline of the teaching personnel and the inspectorate of the Public Education are the responsibility of the Educational Commission, a five-member body appointed by the President of the Republic for a period of six years.

The administrative structure of Primary Education is as follows:

The Director of Primary Education is the Head of the Department and is responsible for the organisation, management, supervision and inspection of teachers and schools of Pre-Primary, Primary, Special Education and Adult Education Centres. Moreover, he/she is in charge of the planning, co-ordination, guidance and supervision of schoolwork, the organisation of educational conferences and in-service training seminars for the teaching staff, and the consultation on issues concerning Primary Education.

The Inspector General of Primary Education is responsible for the general inspection of schools and staff, the supervision and co-ordination of the inspector’s work and the participation in planning and carrying out major inspections of school, as well as the active participation in organising and planning conferences and in-service training seminars for inspectors and teachers.

For better co-ordination and effectiveness in school management, there are four (4) District Education Offices operating in the four districts (Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca-Famagusta and Paphos). The director of each office is a Chief Education Officer who is responsible for the supervision and co-ordination of the inspectors’ work in the district. The implementation of rules and regulations regarding the educational task and generally the activities of the schools, institutions and other sectors of both private and public Primary Education in the district. Furthermore he/she undertakes the inspection of schools, institutions and other sectors of both private and public Primary Education in the district, and the supervision of the work of the teaching staff, according to the educational needs, as well as the organisation and planning of conferences and in-service training seminars for inspectors and teachers.

The direct supervision and co-ordination of the schools’ and teachers’ work is carried out by the Inspectors of Primary Education, who are divided into Inspectors for General Subjects and Inspectors for Special Subjects (Music, P.E., Art, Home Economics, Science, English Language, Pre-Primary Education).

The inspectors undertake the supervision of primary schools and the supervision and guidance of teachers, collaborate with the school principal in dealing with administrative or any other educational issues, participate actively in organizing and carrying out conferences and in-service training seminars for the teaching staff in Primary Education, as well as any other special duties, assigned to them.

The government departments described above are responsible for providing and financing the basic education services stated in the EFA guidelines. Thus, because this is a strongly centralised system, the role of any domestic partners or external agencies in defining and implementing the national educational strategy is relatively limited.

For Primary Education the Government pays the salaries of the teachers and awards annual grants to all local authorities, according to the number of the pupils. The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the preparation of education bills in co-operation with the Office of the Attorney General. The bills for debate and approval are tabled by the House of Representatives.

The construction and equipment of school buildings are the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The School Boards, a local authority related to education, have no say in purely educational matters and their members receive no remuneration. Each year they submit their budget for the next school year to the Ministry of Education and Culture for approval. At the end of each school year they submit a detailed financial statement to the Ministry of Education which is audited by the State Auditors.

Regarding the changes in public expenditure, which concern EFA indicators 7 and the following data shows that the EFA goals are promoted by an increase in the amount of money spent on basic education.

An important example of a specific significant change in public expenditure on primary schooling concerns teachers’ salaries. Within the past decade, there has been an effort to increase the salaries of Primary School teachers so that they would receive the same amount of money as the teachers of Secondary Education.

Another example concerns public non formal education, which includes evening and afternoon classes, offering instruction in subjects in which there is demand for more intensive tuition than is normally offered by formal education, e.g. foreign languages and computer science. For some of these classes, fees are charged which are paid into the state revenue. The Government covers the expenditure, which normally exceeds revenue. Besides, it offers a number of scholarships to very good pupils (10% of enrolment in the case of foreign languages).