LIKE SO many other areas of the economy, the private education sector is in crisis. Although the government announced that educational institutions were to be exempt from the brutal haircut on deposits, it is not yet clear whether private schools are included.
But even if the deposits of those schools which banked with Bank of Cyprus and Laiki are saved, the haircut and spiralling recession is likely to have a dramatic impact on student numbers.
Cypriot parents have traditionally made big sacrifices in other areas of their lives to send their children to private schools. The crumbling state school sector and the career advantages an English language education provided made those sacrifices seem worthwhile. In the meantime, the private school sector in the last decade expanded. In the mid-2000s, the economy was booming, increasing numbers of parents had the money for fees, while the growing expat populations especially from Britain and Russia meant a steady stream of foreign children who needed educating. Existing schools moved into newer, larger premises, new schools were established.
It was not to last. Student numbers had already dropped in the last two years as the first effects of the economic crisis hit home. Now the bailout juggernaut has crashed onto our shores, private schools will bear the full brunt of it. Already, they are offering discounted fees and renegotiating fee payment schemes to keep student numbers up. It is unlikely to be enough and it is hard to see how all these schools can keep going.
But like so many other areas of the economy, the crisis does provide an opportunity to adapt and make meaningful change to a sector that had fundamental flaws all along. Quite simply, there are too many private schools and most of them – even during the boom years – were and are too small to offer a fully rounded education. At IGCSE level, for example, students are often far more limited in the combination of subjects they can study than they would be at a state school in the UK and are forced to make an uneven arts/science choice far too early in their academic careers. At A level the limitations are even tighter. Sports, music and arts facilities at some schools are also patchy.
These weaknesses will become ever more evident as student numbers fall.
The answer seems obvious, small schools should pool resources and amalgamate.
The schools themselves will be most reluctant because each has tried to create its own identity. Some pride themselves on their traditional, academic ethos. Others seek to be more inclusive. Some aim for a truly international student base. Others are basically Greek schools where the language of instruction happens to be English.
But the crisis may well force them to overcome their reluctance. In the process, merged schools will finally be able to offer a richer range of subjects and improved facilities. Both the students and their parents deserve nothing less.