The secondary school teachers’ union in Cyprus has rejected the education ministry’s final proposal for a new teacher evaluation system, the union’s president said on Friday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Oelmek president Demetris Taliadoros confirmed that the union’s central administrative council reviewed the latest version of the proposal but found it unacceptable. The union said only one of its ten key suggestions was adopted by the ministry.

The decision to reject the plan, Taliadoros said, is rooted in multiple concerns. One major issue is the ministry’s refusal to change the structure of the appeals committee that would handle objections from teachers about their evaluations.

According to Oelmek, the union has for years recommended that the appeals body include an independent judge, a university academic with expertise in education, and a retired senior official from the education ministry. Instead, the ministry insists on an internal process involving the ministry’s permanent secretary, the director of secondary education, and a department head, essentially the same people responsible for the initial evaluations.

Taliadoros also criticised the ministry for not accepting the union’s call to appoint a second deputy headteacher for gymnasiums. He said the additional administrative duties created by the new system cannot be shouldered by a single deputy head.

In light of the unresolved disagreements, Oelmek will now put the ministry’s proposal to a vote. A referendum will be held on May 29 among all secondary school teachers in Cyprus. The outcome will help guide the union’s next steps.

Taliadoros also announced that, following the vote, the union will convene a nationwide conference of its General Representatives in early June to discuss the results and decide on a unified stance.

In closing, he called on the education minister to allow more time for proper dialogue and consultation.

“The evaluation system directly concerns teachers,” he said.

“It would be a mistake to move forward with a one-sided decision.”