Six educational organisations, POED, OELMEK, OLTEK, KTÖS, KTOEÖS, and DAU SEN, marked ten years of cooperation as members of Education International (EI) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), honouring, in a joint statement, World Teachers’ Day on October 5 and sending a message in favor of strengthening education and reuniting Cyprus.
At a press conference held on Friday at the Home for Cooperation, in the buffer zone, in Nicosia, POED Secretary General Charis Charalambous and KTÖS Secretary General Burak Mavis, read the joint statement of the six organizations honouring the “irreplaceable role of teachers, who, both in Cyprus and around the world, dedicate their lives to shaping future generations.”
According to the statement, this year, under the global slogan “Together for teachers, together for tomorrow,” the organisations stand together with all their colleagues worldwide, calling on governments around the world to invest in teachers and education, and to support the creation of a peaceful, just, and sustainable future for all.
Since the launch of the “Go Public! Fund Education” campaign and the UN Summit on Transforming Education in 2022, the education movement has been gaining increasing recognition at the international level, the teachers noted, adding that the 2024 United Nations recommendations and this year’s Santiago Agreement in Chile are important steps forward. “On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, we reaffirm our commitment to continue working together to build on these achievements and gains,” they stress.
“We call on governments to provide meaningful and consistent support to teachers, recognizing that the future of every society depends on education. Across the globe, financial resources are often allocated elsewhere, while our schools face shortages and teachers struggle with limited resources. These challenges must be addressed primarily through policies that prioritize education as a public good. When teachers are supported by states, students and societies thrive,” it is added.
Today, the global shortage of 50 million teachers seriously jeopardises the right to education, they said, with Charalambous noting in his own reading of the joint statement that while there is a surplus of teachers on the Greek Cypriot side, “we are at risk of having a shortage of teachers in 2027 due to legislation passed by the House of Representatives.” This challenge cannot be solved with temporary measures or other technological alternatives, they noted, adding that education is, fundamentally, a human and interpersonal process. “The primary and immediate investment in teachers is therefore essential to ensure quality education for all,” they said.
Charalambous and Mavis said that the six education organizations in Cyprus are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the historic Cooperation Agreement of Education Organizations signed in 2015 under the auspices of ETUCE.
“In this context, we also recognize our shared responsibility to build a better future for our island by promoting mutual respect and understanding. We are committed to teaching the values of peace, democracy, and justice in our schools so that today’s children can become the citizens who will shape a brighter future.”
Asked how easy or difficult their cooperation has been over the years and what message they would like to send to the political leadership on both sides, Charalambous said that for 30 years, cooperation between the unions has been good and there have been no disputes. “This is a good message to all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and of course to the leaders. Our will is to create a common homeland. We are not interested in two separate states, but in a common state,” he added.
For his part, Mavis noted that when he first visited the POED offices, he saw a photo on the wall of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot union teachers together when they first met. “There are difficulties, but we are resolving them through dialogue, and that is an important message,” he added. He said that the joint declaration includes a clause on the rotation of representation of the six Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot trade union organizations in ETUCE. “If teachers can do it, it sends a message that politicians can too,” he added.
Their priority, he concluded, is the reunification of the island into a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.