SECONDARY SCHOOL teachers recorded 25,856 absences in the first quarter of the school year, an average of 319 a day, according to education ministry figures.
The first four months of the current school year, from September to December 2011, has a total number of 81 working days when one excludes weekends, national holidays and Christmas holidays. During that period, statistics published by Phileleftheros yesterday reveal that from the 5,486 permanent state secondary school teachers, on average 319 were absent per working day, or six per cent of the total permanent staff.
These figures do not include teachers who were absent for training, away at conferences or seminars or European programmes.
The seemingly large figure of 25,856 is broken down into: 18,772 teachers who took sick leave providing a doctor’s note (72 per cent of the total); 2,507 who were absent for personal reasons (10 per cent); 2,042 or 8 per cent who were absent without a doctor’s note; 1,808 absences (7 per cent) recorded in the ‘other reasons’ category, and 727 male teachers who were on reservist duty with the National Guard, counting for 3 per cent of the total.
The month of November which has no national holidays or school holidays recorded the highest absences with over 8,700. October came second with 6,347, December third with 6,106 while the beginning of the school year, September, started brightly with the least number of absences, 4,685.
Head of Secondary Education at the Education Ministry Zena Poulli yesterday confirmed to the Cyprus Mail that the “figures are accurate”, adding that “lessons are being missed”.
Secondary teachers’ union OELMEK vice-president Eleni Semelidou said the figures were a little misleading.
“The absences recorded include people who are on maternity leave or long-term sick leave such as cancer patients receiving treatment. These are not unjustified absences. In any case the education ministry has the right not to approve any leave,” she said.
“A six per cent absence rate is normal. At the school where I am head, we have a normal number of absences. If I feel someone is abusing the system, I can speak to them directly, or notify the ministry who can investigate the matter,” she added.
Asked if there were instances of abuse of the system, Semelidou said: “If there is abuse of the system it is at a minimum. If the ministry suspects abuse they are obliged to investigate.”
Following an informal agreement between the ministry and OELMEK, educators are allowed to apply for up to 12 days – non-successive – “personal reasons” leave per year in addition to national holidays and school holidays.
Semelidou said this was reserved for “exceptional circumstances” like a child’s sickness or death.
Teachers are not obliged to get a doctor’s note if they are absent with sickness for a day or two but instead this is taken off their personal reasons leave.
To take this personal leave, teachers have to fill out a form which goes to the district inspector for approval.
Regarding sick leave, teachers have up to 42 days with a doctor’s note. If it’s a serious illness, they can take up to six months off but only after the approval of a medical council.
Meanwhile, replacement teachers are only found for educators who are away for at least five days. For all classes where the teacher is missing for less than five days, the school arranges to have someone monitoring the pupils during their absence but no actual lesson takes place.
