Cyprus has a well-developed system of primary and secondary education offering both public and private education. The high quality of tuition can be attributed to a large extent to the quality of the teachers. In contrast to attitudes towards teaching prevalent in most developed countries, being a (state) school teacher (elementary or high-school) is one of the most sought-after professions in Cyprus, thanks to the good employment conditions which include unassailable job security, more than adequate compensation package, generous vacation package – and the lack of viable alternatives for many university graduates.
However, while there are hundreds of candidates for each new teaching position, appointments are not made on the basis of merit but on a first-in, first-out fashion according to the date of completion of the candidates’ university studies. While prospective high school teachers for Chemistry (say) are required to have a university degree in Chemistry, a background in education is not expected.
State schools are generally seen as equivalent in quality of education to private sector institutions. However, the value of a state high school diploma is limited by the fact that it is not obtained after successfully completing a series of centrally administered examinations, such as the British A-Levels, the French Baccalaureat or the German Abitur. While students do need to take some national final exams on certain topics, the grades obtained account for only around 25% of the final grade for each topic, with the remaining 75% assigned by the teacher during the semester, in a minimally transparent way. The resulting grade inflation (partly also due to an effort to artificially minimize the number of high-school drop-outs) as well as inconsistencies in grading practice across teachers and schools, result in high school diplomas being only partly recognised by British universities, with elite universities requiring further evidence of scholastic aptitude, such as A-levels or other solid credentials.
Greek universities and the University of Cyprus ignore high school grades almost entirely for admissions purposes. While a high school diploma is mandatory for university attendance, admissions are decided almost exclusively on the basis of scores at centrally administered university entrance examinations that all university candidates are required to take. Unlike state high school students, most of whom go on to study in Greece, private school students usually study in Britain and the USA.
The main problem faced in public education, where classes end around noon, is the need of extra lessons in the afternoon, typically taken at privately-run institutes or at teachers’ homes. Students in private schools tend to rely less on such extra lessons.
The majority of Cypriots receive their higher education at Greek, British, Turkish, other European and North American universities, while there are also sizeable emigrant communities in the United Kingdom and Australia. Private colleges and state-supported universities have been developed by both the Turkish and Greek communities.
According to the 1960 constitution, education is under the control of the two communities (the communal chambers). State education was based on nationalisation of existing community supported schools from the colonial period. Thus following 1974 the Cypriot system follows the Greek system in the area under the Republic’s effective control and the Turkish system in the area not under the Republic’s.
A large number of students after sitting for A-levels study abroad, mainly in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom or the United States, but also elsewhere in Europe such as France and Germany.
