Secondary education in Cyprus
General Secondary Education in Cyprus spans a six-year program designed for students aged 12 to 18. This educational phase is divided into two main cycles: the lower secondary and upper secondary cycles, aiming to develop students' intellectual, social, and personal skills, ensuring they are well-prepared for further education or entry into the workforce.
Gymnasium serves as the lower secondary level and includes grades 7 to 9, catering to students aged 12 to 15. This stage provides a broad general education and prepares students for the more specialized upper secondary level.
Lyceum is the upper secondary level, encompassing grades 10 to 12 for students aged 15 to 18. Students can choose between general education at Lyceum or vocational training at Technical/Vocational Schools. The curriculum at Lyceum focuses on preparing students for higher education, while vocational schools provide specialised training for specific careers.
Some schools may offer both the Gymnasium and Lyceum cycles.
Schedule
The school year begins in early September until late May, which is split into two semesters, with the first from the beginning of the school year until early January and the second from mid January until the end of the school year. Final exams take place after the end of the 2nd semester, around late May to early June. Classes are held from 07:30 until 13:35, Monday through Friday. Lesson periods are 45 minutes and 40 minutes. There are three breaktimes per day, totalling to around 45-50 minutes everyday. In total, 38 lesson periods occur every week for gymnasium, and 37 for lyceum.Cyprus School Uniform
In Cyprus, due to its British colonial past, both public and private schools require students to wear a school uniform. In public primary and secondary schools, the standard uniform consists of a white shirt paired with dark-blue trousers, or a dark-blue skirt for girls. This uniform is worn on a daily basis, while a dark-blue tie is additionally required for special occasions such as celebrations, official events, or school parades.Lessons
Gymnasium
In Gymnasium, a total of 38 lesson periods are taught weekly. Physics and Chemistry are introduced in Grade 8, while Geography is taken away at Grade 9, for the rest of Secondary education.Written examinations must be taken by all students at the end of each academic year. For Grade 7 the examined subjects are: Modern Greek and Mathematics. For Grades 8 and 9 the examined subjects are: Modern Greek, Mathematics, History and Science.
Lyceum
Grade 10
In grade 10, students must choose 1 out of 4 available courses. Each course has 2 advanced subjects. At the end of grade 10, students are examined on modern Greek, 2 advanced and 1 common core subjects that come along their course. The course chosen in grade 10 determines the "direction" the students are eligible to take in grades 11 and 12.Grades 11 and 12
In grade 11, students must choose 1 out of 6 available "directions". To enter a specific direction, you must have taken the relevant exam in the subject which the direction requires. The exams you must have taken for each direction are already examined in the corresponding grade 10 courses. You have the ability to enter any grade 11 direction from any grade 10 course, though students may have to take extra exams if the direction you wish to follow is outside of the scope of the course you already followed. This system has been criticised for being flawed and harsh for students, as many will have to pay for private lessons to cover the subject they must be examined in to enter the direction they wish, since they hadn't done the relevant advanced lessons in their course.In grade 12, students continue the direction they chose in grade 11, though the ability to change directions remains, so long they have taken the relevant exams in the subjects required.
School holidays
School holidays in secondary education are: 1 October, 28 October, 24 December to January 6, 30 January, 25 March, 1 April, 1 May and 11 June.Holidays with different dates every year are: Green Monday, Holy Monday to 2nd Sunday of Easter.
Certification of secondary education
- Lyceum: An indicative certificate or a School Leaving Certificate, for those who graduate, is awarded at the end of the school year to all successful students. The School Leaving Certificate is a qualification for employment in office work.
- Technical/Vocational Education: After successfully completing the program, students of TVE are awarded a School Leaving Certificate, which is recognized as equivalent to a SLC of any lyceum.
Action - Creativity - Social Contribution programme
The Lyceum Programme "Action – Creativity – Social Contribution" is organized by the school and is approved by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth. The program is optional for all students, though a certificate of participation is given to all students at the end of every year. The activities that have been organized by schools so far, are now regulated, enriched and upgraded through this program.Uniforms
Uniforms are compulsory. The uniform is regulated by each school, thought most follow the following regulation:- White, dark blue, grey or black shirts
- Jeans or trousers in the previous colours
- Sweatpants in the previous colours
- Skirts for females