In Cyprus, Education Ministry wants to hire 60 educational psychologists over three years — Cyprus Mail
In Cyprus, the ministry of education plans to hire 60 educational psychologists over the next three years. An editorial column in Cyprus Mail reports that the department is asking for 20 new positions to be included in the 2027 budget, while the ministry of finance agrees to only half that number.
Number of specialists and referrals
The Educational Psychology Service currently has 71 psychologists. Most of them work on a permanent basis, while fewer than ten are on fixed-term contracts. According to the ministry of education, there is approximately one psychologist for every 1,700 students, and the department considers this ratio insufficient.
The newspaper Politis, cited by Cyprus Mail, reported a 47% increase in referrals to educational psychologists over five years. There were 7,229 referrals in the 2019–2020 school year and 10,598 in 2023–2024.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Reasons for referrals
In the 2023–2024 school year, 11% of referrals concerned behavioral problems and violence. Another 10% involved secondary school students who needed help because of addictive behavior, including alcohol use, smoking, illegal substances, and compulsive gambling.
The Cyprus Mail column raises the question of how responsibility should be divided among schools, parents, and educational psychology specialists. The authors note that educational psychologists are needed to help children with learning difficulties, including those related to autism and dyslexia, and express the view that discipline problems should not automatically be considered grounds for psychological intervention.
