Kythera Municipal Council meeting: the focus on teacher shortages and the strengthening of local institutions

On 8 October 2024 the 17th regular meeting of the Kythera Municipal Council was held, in the hall «Mayor Artemios Kalligeros» of the Kythera Town Hall, with the possibility of participation both with physical presence and via videoconference through the ZOOM platform. The meeting started at 15:00 and discussed important issues concerning the island. Not all but most of the councillors were present, ensuring a quorum.

Among the issues dominated the discussion of the resolution on the shortage of teachers and the mergers of departments in schools in Kythera, following a proposal by Councillor Zacharias Souris for the major opposition faction. The resolution was a point of convergence for the Municipal Council, which showed absolute unanimity on the issue. All the councillors present expressed their concern about the deterioration of local education and agreed on the need for immediate action. In a unanimous resolution, the Council lodged a strong protest and demanded that the teacher vacancies be filled, stressing that education is a right that must be guaranteed in every corner of the country.

Agenda items

1. Approval of the granting of a certificate within the 800m zone of the settlement of Frilingianikon
   • The first item was to approve the granting of a certificate related to the building condition within the 800 meter zone of the village of Frilingianikon. The technical department confirmed that the land is within this zone, confirming the legality of the certificate.
2. Free Use of Municipal Property for the housing of the cultural association of Fratzia “The Fratsias”
   • The second issue concerned the concession of the former primary school in Fratsias for use by the cultural association “The Fratsias”. The terms of the concession include the free use of the space for cultural events, while it will remain available for municipal events.
3. Free Concession of Municipal Property for the housing of the landscaping cultural association “Agia Pelagia”
   • The concession of the building of the former primary school in Agia Pelagia for use by the landscaping association of the area was also approved. The building, which is in worse condition than the one in Fratzia, will be renovated and the water and electricity connections will be restored.
4. Approval of the renewal of the programmatic contract between D.Y.A.A. (OAED) and the Municipality of Kythera
   • The renewal of the programmatic agreement between the OAED and the Municipality for the continuation of the operation of the OAED correspondent office in Kythera was discussed. The renewal was deemed necessary to facilitate citizens in their transactions with the OAED, avoiding travel to mainland Greece.
5. Resolution for an immediate solution to the problem of teacher shortages and departmental mergers in Kythera schools
   • The adopted resolution expressed the strong protest of the Municipality for the shortage of teachers at the Kythera High School and the mergers of departments that create excessively large sections. The resolution called for the immediate filling of vacancies, the abolition of anti-education measures and the reintroduction of the institution of hard-to-reach areas, in order to give teachers incentives to choose the island.

Information and Discussion Stage

There were additional briefings and discussions during the meeting:

• Progress of the Local Urban Plan The Councillor Andreas Mariatos, responsible for the issue, informed the Council about the development of the Local Urban Plan of Kythera, which is in the seventh month of the first phase, which concerns the analysis of the existing situation. The three alternative scenarios will be presented to citizens between December 2024-January 2025, and there will be an online consultation.
• Announcement for the show “Sunday in the Village” It was announced that the show “Kyriaki in Chorio” will be filming in Kythera this week, with the main filming in Karavas on Saturday. Residents and stakeholders were invited to participate in the filming.
• Adoption of two items on the agenda The third revision of the budget of the Municipality of Kythera for 2024 and the second revision of the budget of the Port Fund were unanimously approved. The changes involved transferring funds to pay for projects and to strengthen the internal audit service.

The meeting concluded with unanimous decisions on most issues, demonstrating the effort of cooperation and consensus within the City Council.