It is impossible for all 48,000 high school students to get to school at 11am on Wednesday, when their schools will reopen after the work stoppage teachers will be staging in protest to the evaluation plan set to be discussed at parliament on the same day, the parents’ associations have said.

The Cyprus confederation of parents’ associations said “we fully respect the institutions and the right to demand, however in no case do we agree to the loss of teaching time.”

“The children have a right to education and in no case should this right be impacted by a conflict concerning trade union demands,” it added.

The confederation met on Sunday to discuss Oelmek’s decision to strike from 7.30am till 11am on Wednesday, affecting about 48,000 students.

It said it was impossible for 96,000 parents to leave work at 11am to take their children to school, leading to “unequal treatment for those who will not be able to get there”.

“The presence of a small group of students after 11am does not serve any educational purpose,” the parents said and called on the education ministry to allow children to remain at home on that day.