Protests as House raises retirement age of teachers

BY majority vote, parliament yesterday passed a law raising the retirement age for high-school teachers, sparking angry scenes at the House.

Demonstrators gathered outside the parliament to protest the legislation, which extends by three years the retirement age.

Chanting slogans, some of the demonstrators – belonging to a left-wing student group – then tried to storm the building but were stopped by police who had lined up at the entrance. There were minor scuffles, but no injuries were reported.

Inside the House meanwhile, the chants could easily be heard by deputies, prompting yet another sideshow on the floor when Greens MP George Perdikis jokingly likened the demonstrators to the rowdy fans of football Omonia club – also with leftist leanings.

The remark did not go unanswered by the AKEL deputies, who took it as an affront to “our students and our youth” and berated Perdikis for trying to make light of the issue.

Under the new law, retirement age is extended from 60 to 63 gradually, over a three-year period. It will now also be possible for educators to file for early retirement after the age of 60.

Proponents of the legislation say that fears voiced by would-be teachers are exaggerated, and point to the fact that retirement age in most EU countries is even higher, from 65 to 70.

The law is opposed by university graduates who have applied for a job in the civil service and are currently on a waiting list.

In Cyprus anyone with a university degree can add their names to a list of potential teachers, even if their course is not specific to teaching. People then wait years for their names to be called. Would-be teachers therefore see the new law as the final nail in the coffin.

Earlier this month, the House Education Committee heard that the average age for a teacher to be appointed to public schools today is between 40 and 50 years old.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.