By Jean Christou
AFTER almost a century of consistent academic achievement, the reputation of the English School has become mired in a swamp of allegations of favouritism, malpractice and lies.
Never in its existence has the exclusive Nicosia secondary school come so close to the whiff of a tabloid-like scandal as it has in recent weeks after allegations of blatant bias in the promotion of a female member of staff by Headmaster Thomas Thomas.
The married Briton — whose family remained in the UK when he took up his Cyprus posting in September 1996 — has been accused of fixing the promotion to senior teacher of Antigone Kiliari, the ex-wife of a former cabinet minister.
The specific issue comes on the back of broader staff concern at what they perceive to be Thomas’s consistent favouring of certain teachers, and the intimidation and humiliation of others from his earliest days at the school.
“It was becoming difficult, but it was contained until the recent appointment,” according to a senior source at the school.
For the teachers, the promotion of Kiliari — with whom, a Staff Association (ESSA) report says, the headmaster “was known to have such a close relationship” — was the last straw in a long line of differences.
“Initially, although Thomas was close friends with three female staff members, no one accused him of any favouritism at all,” the school source said.
“But his constant statements that others were accusing him led people to believe that he doth protest too much. He just kept bringing it up.”
Thomas has denied any romantic involvement with any female member of staff.
“Is that what they’re saying about me?” he told the Cyprus Mail.
“I haven’t heard this allegation”.
Pressed further, Thomas said allegations of an affair were “absolute and total nonsense”.
He also “refutes entirely” ESSA’s allegation that he belittled or acted aggressively with several staff members. “I’m not perfect of course,” he added.
“Basically, all I’m interested in is the best interests of the pupils,” he said, adding that mechanisms were in place for the resolution of disputes within the school.
However, the situation appears to be drastic enough to prompt 18 of the schools’ 20 Senior Masters and Heads of Department to threaten to resign their posts, and drastic enough to lead the union towards industrial action.
A dossier of documentation released by ESSA in an unprecedented move includes testimony from 12 Heads of Departments, only one of whom did not criticise Thomas.
“The staff are not objecting to Kiliari, but to the way she was appointed,” the senior source said. The source said the two issues — the head’s dismissive attitude and the controversial promotion — should not be linked.
“The two issues should have been separate, but now they are closely linked, ” the source said.
But the source made clear that the nature of the relationship between the headmaster and Kiliari was not the major concern. The problem lies in the belief that, whatever friendship the two may have, their relationship could have led to the ditching of proper promotion procedures in Kiliari’s case.
“We are not interested in their sex lives, but he and she have done so many thing together that they do give that impression,” board member Nicos Saveriades said referring to allegations of their involvement.
“But this is not important. The point is that there were other people more qualified for the promotion”.
Saveriades said that when the board had been considering Kiliari’s appointment, he had been the only one to voice concern over the headmaster’s recommendation.
“They sacrificed the future of the school just to fulfil a stupid demand from the headmaster,” he said. “Instead of him being the Board’s ‘yes man’ they are his ‘yes’ men. I told them that headmasters come and go but the school is here to stay.
“But it was a lost cause.”
According to ESSA documentation, Thomas has since he arrived at the school referred to Cyprus society as “bitchy”, threatened to sack any teacher who questioned his professionalism, called some of the teachers “spineless”, shouted at parents and publicly humiliated a 12-year-old boy in front of 400 others at assembly.
One Head of Department’s testimony made to a four-man ad-hoc investigating committee said Thomas appeared to have miscalculated Cypriot mentality and culture.
Another said Thomas had threatened to “make things unpleasant” for a secretary. A third said the headmaster claimed he could run the school “with one third of the staff for him, one third indifferent to him and one third against him”.
The senior source at the school told the Cyprus Mail that, before coming to Cyprus, Thomas — who when he first arrived appeared to be a mild- mannered gentleman — had been “dramatically successful in getting things changed at some difficult schools in the UK.”
“But the staff here do not feel this sort of autocratic management style was needed or useful at the English School,” the source said.
“The sad thing is to have reached the position where there is a lack of trust; he didn’t seem to accept his style of management might be at fault.”
Although he has been reticent in speaking out, Thomas hints at some ill- feeling in his foreword to last year’s school magazine, referring to “some occasions for apology”.
“Unfamiliar attitudes, emphasis on externals, jealous guarding of perceived positions, distrust of change… precedent rules… confusion between longevity and loyalty,” are just some of the problems he highlights.
The ad-hoc committee of Board members which looked into the dispute dismissed ESSA’s demand that Thomas resign and that Kiliari’s promotion be rescinded.
ESSA reacted with “disgust, anger and dismay” to what it called the “legalistic manipulations” of the Board.
But the Board is unrepentant and backs Thomas’s position, and Kiliari’s promotion to the hilt.
Chairman John Hadjiantonas dismissed the notion of an improper relationship between the two: “There is no evidence that this is the case,” he said.
Hadjiantonas admits there are problems between the headmaster and the teachers, but believes the situation can be solved with “goodwill and acceptance”.
He said anyone who is aggrieved over the promotion could “go to court and challenge the decision”.
“It is a question of the integrity of the reports and recommendations made to the Board of Directors by the head teacher,” Hadjiantonas said.
According to sources at the school, most of the board members did want to question the promotion, “but it was difficult for them to go against him (Thomas) without seeming to question his judgment.”
“The board had already got a lot of stick for losing one head. They couldn’t lose two heads in two years and have to admit they had made a mistake,” the source said.
Ironically, the last headmaster, Albert Hudspeth, far from enjoying the cosy relationship with the board of which Thomas is accused, is widely believed to have left because he disagreed with an allegedly “political” promotion foisted on him by the board.
Hadjiantonas denies this and says there is nothing in the school records which indicates that Hudspeth ever came into conflict with the board over appointments, though in a recent letter to the Cyprus Mail, the former headmaster suggested such a problem had existed.
The source said the Board had also wanted to get rid of Hudspeth because they felt discipline at the school had lapsed during his eight years as head.
“In the end, he felt he should resign to leave space for things to change,” the source said. “He left without making any public accusations, though he told ESSA a list of terrible things.”
The current crisis will tomorrow be the subject of a round table discussion at the school involving the teachers, the board, parents and the Old Boys and Girls Association, which has volunteered to help.
“There is an element of affection for the school by all the parties and this will help in efforts to resolve the problem,” Hadjiantonas said.
