Through the demands of our Association, another demand of patients with Cystic Fibrosis for the inclusion of our educational patients and their educational caregivers in more favourable placement and transfer arrangements is met.

Since last year our Association has started communications and we had sent a series of letters to the leadership of the Ministry of Education and the ESAMEA (no. 731_26-9-2023, 639_27-1-2023), in which we asked for the inclusion of the teachers of E.E.P. and E.B.P. with Cystic Fibrosis, but also the CEE and CEE teachers who are caregivers (parents, legal guardians, spouses) of patients with Cystic Fibrosis to the special categories of placement and transfers of teachers for health reasons (Article 13 of PD 50/1996, Government Gazette 45/A/8-3-1996).

The public online consultation of the multi-bill including these provisions was posted yesterday by the Ministry of Education (see
here
), which we are particularly pleased about, as our interventions are recognised and implemented for the benefit of patients first and foremost, but also for their carers.

Specifically, according to Article 19 of the new multi-bill, teachers serving in primary and secondary education, as well as members of Special Education Personnel (S.E.P.) and Special Support Staff (S.S.A.P.), who have a lifetime disability of 80% or more, may be transferred to transfer areas of their choice regardless of the existence of an organic gap and organic vacancies available for the transfers of other teachers.

Also in accordance with Article 18 , the newly appointed teachers or members of S.E.P. and S.B.P. belonging to the special categories of transfer referred to in paragraph 1. 1 of Article 13 of P.D. 50/1996 (A’ 45) or Article 8 of P.D. 56/2001 (A’ 47), respectively, and those who have, themselves or their spouses, a disability rate of 75% or more, regardless of the condition, or have children with a disability of 67% or more, regardless of the condition, may be seconded, by decision of the competent institution following the opinion of the relevant staff councils, upon presentation of a certificate from a Disability Certification Centre (CDC) proving the above. The period of secondment shall be counted as time spent in the service of the teacher in his/her permanent post.

The public consultation on the new multi-page draft will be open for comment until 16 July 2024.

We would like to thank the Ministry of Education, the Minister of Education, Mr. Kyriakos Pierrakakis and the Deputy Minister Mrs. Zetta Makri.

We continue to demand and fight for the rights of patients and their carers. Thank you for your support and we will keep you informed of any new developments!