Education and Culture Minister Andreas Demetriou has told the informal EU Education Ministers Meeting, which was held in Goteborg, Sweden, 23-24 September that Cypriot teachers enjoy very good conditions of work, both as far as remuneration and working environment are concerned, with small number of classes.
In his intervention at the informal meeting, Demetriou noted however that international research does not reflect this picture of Cypriot education.
The meeting addressed the issue how member states can improve the opportunities for teachers to develop their skills and learning.
Concluding their meeting on Thursday, the ministers noted that a network should be put into place on an EU-level to ensure that teachers receive in-service training throughout their careers. The European Union should also work to provide teachers with support and guidance when they enter working life.
Swedish Minister for Education Jan Bjorklund noted the importance of the meeting and the discussion of these very issues.
He said this was the first time they had actually discussed the quality of education. “Schools are of strategic importance to the future of Europe”, said Bjorklund.
The meeting also addressed how newly qualified teachers are to be gradually introduced into working life. A common problem, which crosses European national borders, is how to provide teachers with the support they need when they are still new in their chosen profession.
The Swedish Education Minister said “there is far too little guidance available to new teachers. As they enter working life, they are thrown right in at the deep end”.
The European Commissioner for Education, Culture and Youth Jan Figel also participated in the press conference. He agreed on the importance of EU measures to encourage more countries to establish induction programmes for newly qualified teachers.
“In two-thirds of all EU countries there are no such programmes at all. The new teachers keep afloat because they have learnt how to swim, but not much more”, said Figel.
The European Commissioner also emphasised that it is not a matter of the EU governing the education policy of individual countries, but rather a matter of the need for common, cross-border measures.
