FOUR English school board members have tendered their resignations to President Demetris Christofias this week, which, if accepted, will bring the remaining board members to three.
None of the resigning members have been officially announced, but several sources close to the English school board and active members of the English School Parents Association (ESPA) say the outgoing individuals are all AKEL party members.
The remaining three are rumoured to be DIKO party members.
Only one of the reportedly resigning board members, Chairman Kyriakos Vassiliou was reliably confirmed as having submitted his resignation.
This has prompted concerns among some active ESPA members. One said yesterday: “The school is on autopilot at the moment; There is no board, or at least if they are still in position it is unclear if it is still in a position to function.”
Vassiliou was reluctant to confirm or deny any rumours yesterday, but he sought to reassure parents and students. “Every decision that needs to be made (by the board) is being made.”
However, if the four do leave, the remaining three will not be sufficient to make executive decisions.
Asked about the resignations, Vassiliou confirmed that the news had become common knowledge among those close to the school, and each member was leaving for their own reasons.
Various explanations were offered by different sources close to the board and the parents association, the first being a breakdown in relations with the ESPA.
One board member said: “Theoretically parents should be cooperating but the problem is they are not. They are doing exactly the opposite… this has been going on for some time.”
The problems came to a head recently when the government froze a €340,000 grant protests that taxpayers’ money was being wasted on sending teachers abroad on rapprochement seminars.
“We are faced with the certainty that we won’t get the money from the government, and while €340,000 might not seem a lot, it is around €500 per pupil per year” the source said.
Parliament’s refusal to release the funds would force the school to increase its tuition fees – if it decides to continue funding rapprochement trips for the teachers that is.
However, this is something the ESPA is unlikely to support.
Insiders therefore say the cash is being used as leverage against the school to reverse its pro-rapprochement agenda.
Another controversial issue that has board’s decision to introduce the Muslim holy days of Bayram in the school calendar, as well as thoughts to close the school on November 15, the occasion of the breakaway state’s unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). Around 12 per cent of pupils there are Turkish Cypriots.
No decision about the resigning board members will be taken until President Christofias returns from his visit to New York. If the resignations are accepted, the cabinet will be required to reappoint a new board, composed of at least two parents and two former students.
