From kindergarten to university: how everything works

The topic of education in Cyprus is traditionally one of the most popular among the island's residents. Questions about which kindergarten or school to enroll their child in, as well as the concern that good treatment and conditions are combined with reasonable payment, occupy many parents who are faced with the need to enroll their child in one or another educational institution. You will find answers to all these questions in this special section.

Maternity leave in Cyprus is very short - only four months. Usually, if a mother needs to return to work, she sends the baby to kindergarten. Their choice is huge - there are state, public and private kindergartens. The costs of public preschool institutions are partially borne by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth of Cyprus. Public and private kindergartens are funded by parents or parents' associations. In addition, gardens can be Greek, English or Russian. At the same time, it is not necessary to take children to kindergarten until they are 4 years and 6 months old - the parents make the decision about this.

By decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, compulsory pre-school education was introduced in Cyprus in September 2004. Children who plan to enter first grade next year (that is, aged 4 years 2 months to 5 years 8 months) must attend kindergarten. In this case, visiting a state kindergarten is free.

All children living in Cyprus have the right to free pre-school education, regardless of their citizenship and social status. They must be enrolled in a kindergarten at their place of residence. The minimum age for admitting a child to a state or public kindergarten is 3 years. Private preschools can accept children younger than that.

Visiting junior groups in a state or public kindergarten (starting from three-year-olds) occurs for a fee, which is determined by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth together with the Ministry of Finance. The size of the group cannot exceed 25 people.

State kindergartens are open from 7:45 to 13:05. Weekends and holidays in public gardens are the same as in public schools. Public and private kindergartens must observe the calendar of public holidays.

All children over 6 years of age who reside in Cyprus permanently or temporarily have the right to study in public schools, regardless of health, family income, citizenship, nationality, legality of parents’ stay in Cyprus or other possible reasons. Education in public schools is free for all children, although upon registration or at the beginning of the school year, parents may be asked to contribute a small amount (about 10-20 euros) to the school's parent committee. Families with low incomes are exempt from this contribution.

The parent committee uses the money received to financially support the families of low-income students, to pay for gifts for Christmas and Easter, to partially pay for excursions and other school events, and for additional needs of the school that are not provided for by the budget of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

State primary schools are six-year schools, after which children continue their education for another six years in middle and high school - three years in a gymnasium and three years in a lyceum (in most private schools, education lasts 13 years).

Classes are held five days a week from 7:45 to 13:05. As a rule, teachers ask parents to bring their children to school by 7:30 so that they have time to run around and socialize before the start of the first lesson. In all six classes, the daily schedule consists of seven lessons of 40 minutes each, separated by three breaks of 20, 10 and 10 minutes.

The number of students in a class does not exceed 25 people.

Children who do not speak Greek at all are usually asked to spend two years in the same class in a Cypriot school or, when moving to Cyprus, to enroll in a school down one grade.

After finishing primary school, students continue their education in secondary school. State secondary general education is provided to students aged 12 to 18 years and includes two three-year courses - a gymnasium and a lyceum. Education in public schools is free for all grades and compulsory until the age of 15 or until completion of high school, whichever comes first. As in primary school, all children living in Cyprus have the right to education, regardless of the legal status of their parents. Those students who do not plan to continue their studies at a university may not take the Pan-Cypriot exams. Examinations after the third grade of the Lyceum are considered uniform final examinations, the results of which are officially counted for admission to all higher educational institutions in Cyprus and Greece.