The Finance Ministry has put plans to significantly strengthen Cyprus’ Educational Psychology Service (EPS) on hold, despite growing demand from schools and repeated government pledges to tackle violence, crises and mental health challenges before they escalate.

According to information obtained by Politis, the Ministry of Education requested funding in the 2027 budget to recruit additional educational psychologists and upgrade the Educational Psychology Service. The Finance Ministry rejected the request.

The proposal was not aimed at expanding a luxury service. It sought to reinforce a department that sits on the front line of school life and currently operates with just 52 educational psychologists serving the entire public education system.

The Education Ministry’s plan

According to information available to Politis, the Ministry of Education's proposal called for the recruitment of 60 additional educational psychologists over a three-year period – 20 per year – increasing the service’s workforce to 112.

In other words, staffing levels would rise by more than 100%.

The ministry's proposal also included strengthening the service’s administrative structure. It called for four additional senior educational psychologist positions at A13 salary scale level, increasing the number from four to eight, as well as upgrading the position of head of the Educational Psychology Service from chief educational psychologist to director level.

According to Education Ministry calculations, once the three-year implementation period had been completed and all new psychologists recruited, the annual cost would amount to approximately €3 million.

That figure is difficult to present as prohibitive given that the service is responsible for supporting students, teachers and schools dealing with violence, emotional difficulties, learning needs and crises.

The Finance Ministry's rejection

According to sources, the Finance Ministry’s negative response is linked to the significant increase in the Education Ministry’s 2027 budget, partly resulting from the phased implementation of the new teacher evaluation system.

That reform requires the creation of additional positions, including the new role of senior teacher, generating further expenditure.

Officials at the Education Ministry were reportedly informed that the request could be resubmitted next year for consideration as part of the 2028 budget process.

In practical terms, schools are being asked to wait. Students are being asked to wait. Teachers are being asked to wait. Families are being asked to wait. And an already overstretched service is expected to continue operating under intense pressure.

One psychologist for every 1,850 students

The Educational Psychology Service currently has a ratio of one educational psychologist for every 1,850 students.

The gap between existing resources and actual needs is substantial, particularly when international benchmarks are typically closer to one psychologist for every 500 students.

The figures help explain why the Ministry of Education has insisted on the need to strengthen the service.

Demand for its services has risen steadily in recent years, while educational psychologists are increasingly required to deal with more complex cases.

The number of student referrals reached:

7,229 during the 2019-2020 school year
7,789 in 2020-2021
8,480 in 2021-2022
9,316 in 2022-2023
10,598 in 2023-2024

Of the referrals recorded in 2023-2024, 1,176 involved incidents of violence and behavioural problems, while a further 941 concerned serious emotional difficulties.

Overall, more than 43,000 referrals were recorded over the past five school years.

The contradiction in government policy

Behind every statistic is a child, a family, a teacher and a school seeking guidance.

The figures represent incidents of violence and delinquent behaviour, serious emotional difficulties, learning needs and crises that cannot simply be postponed until the next budget cycle.

In recent years, every major incident of school violence, every discussion about student mental health and every announcement concerning prevention has been accompanied by assurances that schools must be strengthened.

Yet the service expected to turn those commitments into reality continues to operate with only 52 educational psychologists serving the entire public education system.

The debate over the Educational Psychology Service is not merely about staffing levels and budget allocations.

It concerns who supports the struggling student, the teacher required to manage violence or crisis situations in the classroom, the parent seeking guidance and the school expected to function not only as a place of learning but also as a space for prevention, intervention and protection.

A question of priorities

The Finance Ministry’s decision not to approve the requested funding pushes back the strengthening of the Educational Psychology Service by at least another budget cycle, even as needs continue to grow.

If the issue is viewed solely through a fiscal lens, the broader picture risks being overlooked and the cost of inaction could prove far greater than €3 million.

The question is no longer whether the Educational Psychology Service needs reinforcement. The data answer that clearly.

The question now is whether the state is prepared to invest in prevention before these problems return to the headlines.

When a service with one psychologist for every 1,850 students is expected to shoulder the burden of school violence, mental health challenges, learning difficulties and support for teachers, the issue ceases to be merely financial.

It becomes a matter of public policy priority.

Educational Psychology #