Students say school AC installation pledge ‘a mockery’

The Pan-Cyprian Student Co-ordinating Committee (Psem) said on Thursday that the issue of installing air conditioning in schools had become a mockery because the president and others had not fulfilled promises made to them.

“The bottom line is that the conditions in classrooms are inhumane. Unbearable heat, lack of fans and curtains and  schools that resemble construction sites do not constitute the best learning environment,” Psem said in an announcement.

They added that while students are “boiling” in classrooms the ministry was presenting that the situation in schools as “perfect”.

“There is a lack of coordination between school boards, ministry technical services, ministry leadership and directorates. No one knows what stage the plan is at, probably in a state of confusion,” Psem said.

The committee also said that the ministry was “lying” about installing air conditioning in 50 schools by September.

“Instead, reports have surfaced that air conditioning units are being installed without being connected to a power supply,” it added.

In protest students hung banners outside schools, which in Greek read “It’s hot, but we came”.

In June, Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said the installation of air conditioning units in schools was to begin over the summer with the aim to install 200 by the end of August.

Speaking at student union Pofen’s annual conference, she said the first units would be installed in Nicosia, and that “several” schools would have air conditioning units installed by September.

She added that studies were being carried out regarding different schools’ and classrooms’ requirements alongside the government’s policy decisions on the matter.

She had said the air conditioning units’ installation would cost €45 million.

The stated aim was to install air conditioning units in a total of 650 schools, with an average of 20 units to be installed per school. This would mean 15,000 air conditioning units in total would be installed, with the government planning to accomplish this within three years.