Cyprus parliament blasts textbook delays as ministry admits faulty contracts

School textbooks should have reached every classroom on time, the House Education Committee heard during a session that ended with lawmakers asking the ministry to re-examine the contracts and the problems that arose, as reported by Cyprus Mail. The issue concerned the delivery timetable for textbooks for the 2026-2027 school year and was raised on a proposal by DISY MPs Prodromos Alambritis, Michalis Kounounis and Nicolette Constantinou.

Committee chairman Chrysanthos Savvides said in his opening remarks that timely receipt and distribution of textbooks is a key precondition for a smooth start to the school year and the uninterrupted application of the curricula. Speaking after the session, he said there was clearly a problem, noting that the contractor was supposed to deliver the books on 19 July, with the contract allowing a 20-day extension plus a week for the letter, which pushed the deadline to 15 August — a date when, as he put it, no one works. He questioned why the date was set at 19 July in the first place and said ministry officials themselves acknowledged the signed contract was problematic.

Savvides stressed that explanations were offered but what matters is the substance: books, especially for mathematics in primary school and across all grades, should have been in classrooms on time. He described the presence of the textbook as a basic condition for the smooth operation of the school year and the implementation of the curriculum.

Ministry and unions weigh in

Director of Primary Education Dr Marios Stylianidis told the committee there was no substantive problem, though there was a last-minute snag when some contractors informed the ministry that certain books would not arrive by 10 September, or earlier, in time for use in schools on 14 September. He said primary education, which has the largest number of teaching cycles and where mathematics is taught daily, had to issue guidance to teachers on alternative material. He added that September instructions normally do not begin with the textbook anyway, as the month is used for assessments and getting to know new pupils, with books starting towards the end of the month.

Stylianidis said the ministry had to contact schools to explain which books would not arrive and what alternatives existed. The Government Printing Office was asked at short notice to print the first three units of each missing mathematics booklet in colour, which it did. He denied that teachers were told to photocopy material in colour or black and white. Acting Director of General Secondary Education Dr Giorgos Koutsidis said contracts were signed under which companies committed to provide English textbooks electronically, while solutions were found to cover gaps, adding that books are expected in schools by late September or, at the latest, mid-October.

Director of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute Elena Hadjikakou said textbooks are procured through tenders under public procurement procedures and through direct purchase. She said these processes were carried out on time, with tenders awarded in March 2026 and delivery due around 19 July 2026. The delays were not related to the call, evaluation or award but exclusively to the timetable kept by one contractor, she said. The ministry found solutions and made increased provision in the 2027 budget for printing so that a double quantity of books can be kept in stock and similar situations avoided. She noted that several mathematics booklets were delivered on 11 September.

The head of the ministry's warehouse, Skevi Christoforou, said 80% of temporary textbooks had been delivered to schools. POED president Myria Vasiliou said the shortage of books, especially in subjects such as mathematics, is a serious issue and that not all schools had received the small booklets. OELMEK president Constantinos Constantinou said secondary schools had not received English textbooks, while OLTEK general secretary Lenos Loizou said almost 97% of books had been delivered in technical education. Parents' associations for primary and secondary education voiced concern over the delay.