Students in Cyprus call for walkout over school infrastructure and curriculum concerns

The Pancyprian Coordinating Committee of Students (PSEM) has called for a one-hour walkout on Wednesday, September 16, during the fourth teaching period. This protest is timed to coincide with a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, as students seek immediate solutions to ongoing issues that have persisted more than a week into the new school year.

A primary grievance concerns the installation of air conditioning in classrooms. Students report that the government has shifted the completion deadline from the end of 2026 to the end of the current administration's term in 2028, a change attributed to statements by the President of the Republic. Additionally, the student organization has raised concerns regarding the state of school infrastructure, existing restrictions on summer attire such as shorts—which reportedly persist despite Ministry of Education circulars—and a request for a reduction in the current academic curriculum.

The walkout serves as an expression of strong dissatisfaction with these developments. The student body is demanding safer and more dignified learning environments and is calling on the Ministry of Education to provide substantive responses to their requests during the parliamentary session.