LICENSED private-lessons teachers are taking matters into their own hands in a bid to stop the operation of unlicensed institutes, and the illegal practice of state teachers giving private afternoon lessons.
The Association of Private Institutes (API) is preparing lists with names that will be submitted to the police and the Ministry of Education in a bid to wipe out the widespread phenomenon .
“The phenomenon of private lessons by unlicensed teachers or teachers employed in the public sector has taken uncontrollable dimensions, particularly this year. And the reason this is happening is because those who were breaking the law last year were not prosecuted by authorities, despite the fact that their details were publicised,” said Marios Charalambous, President of the Association of Private Institutes (API).
Charalambous said two separate lists of names were being prepared. The list of unlicensed private teachers will be submitted to the Ministry, while the list of names of state teachers giving afternoon lessons will be submitted to the police.
“This lists are not compiled irresponsibly. The API double-checks all reports and only after we are certain we include names on the lists,” Charalambous said.
Meanwhile, the secondary-school teachers’ union, OELMEK, declined to take part in an operation that some claim is developing into a Soviet-style pogrom.
“We are not an organisation that can take the role of a detective. This matter does not concern our organisation, but is a matter for the relevant bodies to undertake relevant procedures. We are not covering up for any illegality from wherever it may come, but it is others who bear the responsibility and they should take it,” said Eleni Semelidou, President of OELMEK.
According to Semelidou, stakeholders should focus on educational reform and developing a type of school that will cover all the education needs students have so that they don’t have to spend their afternoons taking private lessons. “
What our organisation strives for is to finally create the type of school, where students do not need to go to a second school in the afternoon, but can have productive, creative free time that will really support their morning attendance and will make our children feel happy,” she said.
Although the Association of Private Institutes is determined to report unlicensed private institutes, some of the licensed institutes themselves justify the operation of unlicensed establishments on the grounds that obtaining a licence is extremely demanding, expensive and time-consuming.
“Obtaining a licence takes a long time and is a huge financial burden. You have to make modifications to your building, submit your syllabus for approval, Have adequate parking and so on. On the one hand it is unfair that while we had to through all these difficulties, others did not make the effort and they are operating freely. On the other hand, because I know what I had to go through to get a licence and how difficult it is, I can understand why some may not be able to meet all the stringent requirements and prefer not to apply for a licence,” one private institute owner who preferred to remain anonymous told the Cyprus Mail.
