Of particular concern are the findings of a report by the Audit Office, which dealt with the examination of issues related to safety and health in public schools.
As it has been found, there are serious gaps, mainly in matters of fire protection and electrical safety of school facilities. Suffice it to note that from the sample audit carried out by the Audit Office, it emerged that a significant number of school units operate without a Fire Protection Certificate or without an updated Report on the Existing Condition of the Electrical Installation. According to a comment by the auditor general, Andreas Papaconstantinou, in this report, "these weaknesses increase the risk of serious incidents, with possible negative effects on the safety of students and staff".
Studying the report published today, one finds that in addition to the references to the various issues raised, it also includes specific figures, which largely demonstrate the prevailing picture.
In particular, reference is made to the school units for which a fire protection certificate was not issued, according to the records of the Fire Service. As reported, for a total of 370 school units in all cities (74.6%) this certificate was not issued, while only 126 (25.4%) were issued. At this point, the report states that the 126 school units received this certificate once during their operation and does not necessarily mean that they had it for last school year.
It is worth noting that the report emphasizes the Written Risk Assessment (GEK), the Civil Defense plans, as well as the fire protection and safety of electrical installations, covering mainly the school year 2025 – 2026.
The audit showed that despite the existence of legislative provisions, circulars and guidance tools, there are still significant weaknesses in the practical implementation and supervision of the relevant obligations. A substantial gap was found between the intended compliance and the actual functioning of risk prevention and management mechanisms in schools. In several cases, either the required Written Risk Assessments and Civil Defence Plans had not been prepared, or the documents submitted did not adequately meet the requirements. Therefore, the findings emphasize the need for substantial strengthening of supervision mechanisms, better coordination between competent authorities and the establishment of systematic monitoring of school compliance.
In detail, it is pointed out that especially with regard to the GEK and the Civil Defense Plans, a significant gap was found between formal compliance (preparation and submission of documents by school units to the Ministry of Education) and effective implementation (evaluation, monitoring, implementation of measures). "The Ministry of Education, as an employer, has developed guidance and support mechanisms, but does not have a structured supervision system that ensures the quality, completeness and functionality of the GEK and the Civil Defense Plans, while a significant number of school units do not even meet the obligation to prepare a GEK and a Civil Defense Plan," the Audit Office states, Adding that the picture that emerges in terms of fire protection and electrical safety "is particularly worrying".
This is because it identifies that the majority of school units operate without a valid Fire Protection Certificate or without an updated Existing Electrical Installation Condition Report (PSCE). The results of the inspections of the Fire Service demonstrate low levels of compliance and serious long-term deficiencies in basic fire protection measures in school units.
Also, the main findings of the Audit Office include the following:
1. The GEK and the Civil Defence Plans prepared by the directorates of the school units are not subject to a substantial evaluation by the Ministry of Education as to their completeness and quality.
2. The Ministry does not monitor the compliance of the school administrations with the above obligation and does not monitor the implementation of the preventive and corrective measures proposed by the school units. As a result, these documents were found to function largely as a formal obligation rather than as dynamic risk management tools.
The results of the sample control in 20 schools confirm the above finding, as it was found that 13 of them either did not submit a GEK and/or a Civil Defense Plan, or submitted documents that did not meet the instructions of the Ministry. "This picture demonstrates inconsistency, on the part of the school managements, in the implementation of legislative provisions and limited, on the part of the Ministry of Education, the effectiveness of the existing supervision mechanisms", it is characteristically stated.
As a result, it was found that the Ministry is not in a position to determine whether school units are operating in accordance with the minimum risk prevention requirements. The above weakness increases the risk of inadequate or delayed response to emergency situations, increased exposure of the Ministry of Education to administrative and/or legal responsibilities, as well as undermining the credibility of the supervision system, the report points out.
3. The non-issuance of Fire Protection Certificates in such high percentages is associated with repeated serious deficiencies in basic fire protection measures, which remain pending even after successive inspections. These include the need to install a sufficient number of fire extinguishers, install panic handles and latches at exit doors, remove locks that interfere with safe evacuation, adequate and correct marking of emergency exits, improvements to emergency lighting, as well as structures outside boiler rooms to contain oil loss in the event of a leak.
It was reported that only 11 of the 25 schools (Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary General Education) in the sample of the audit, had a PSS Report in force, resulting in a risk of electrical failures with a threat to the health and safety of students and school staff, while none of them had a valid Fire Protection Certificate.
Technical Schools without a certificate
A particularly worrying element identified by the Audit Office is the situation prevailing in Technical Schools, where due to the nature of education (laboratories and branches of study), the inherent risk of fire or electrical failures is increased.
Specifically, at the time the audit of the Audit Office took place:
No Technical School had a valid Fire Protection Certificate. Only one had an OSCE Report in force.
According to the Audit Office, the picture resulting from the audit demonstrates an increased risk to the safety of school units, as:
1. Schools operate without documented confirmation that their electrical installations are safe.
2. There is no institutional assurance of the adequacy of fire protection measures.
3. In the event of an emergency, the risk of an uncontrolled occurrence with a serious impact on human lives increases.
The dangers that lurk
As mentioned, the weaknesses and shortcomings identified have the following results:
1. Increased risk to the safety and health of students and staff (and to their physical integrity)
2. Inadequate or delayed response to emergencies
3. Limited effectiveness of prevention measures
4. Exposure of the Ministry of Education to administrative and/or legal responsibilities, as well as undermining the credibility of the supervision system (institutional and legal risk to the state, in the event of a serious accident)
5. Delay or inability to safely evacuate premises in case of fire and panic and injuries, especially in schools with a large number of students
6. Increased risk of fire or electrical failures occurring and uncontrolled development
Among the recommendations of the Audit Office are the following points:
-The Office of Civil Defense, Security and Health of the Ministry of Education:Establish and implement a standardized procedure for the substantive evaluation of the GEK submitted by school units, with the aim, among other things, of identifying common or recurring risks and taking horizontal or centralized measures to address them.
-Compiles and maintains a centralized register of compliance of school units with regard to the submission of GEK and Civil Defense Plans.
-Strengthen the monitoring of the timely preparation and submission of these documents, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Regulations and the strengthening of the culture of prevention and safety in schools.
It is recalled that this report is the second currently carried out by the Audit Office on school safety issues. The first was published last Monday with the subject of examination of the hundreds of prefabricated classrooms that are placed in schools.
According to the Audit Office, the picture resulting from the audit demonstrates an increased risk to the safety of school units, as:
1. Schools operate without documented confirmation that their electrical installations are safe.
2. There is no institutional assurance of the adequacy of fire protection measures.
3. In the event of an emergency, the risk of an uncontrolled occurrence with a serious impact on human lives increases.
The dangers that lurk
As mentioned, the weaknesses and shortcomings identified have the following results:
1. Increased risk to the safety and health of students and staff (and to their physical integrity)
2. Inadequate or delayed response to emergencies
3. Limited effectiveness of prevention measures
4. Exposure of the Ministry of Education to administrative and/or legal responsibilities, as well as undermining the credibility of the supervision system (institutional and legal risk to the state, in the event of a serious accident)
5. Delay or inability to safely evacuate premises in case of fire and panic and injuries, especially in schools with a large number of students
6. Increased risk of fire or electrical failures occurring and uncontrolled development
Among the recommendations of the Audit Office are the following points:
-The Office of Civil Defense, Security and Health of the Ministry of Education:Establish and implement a standardized procedure for the substantive evaluation of the GEK submitted by school units, with the aim, among other things, of identifying common or recurring risks and taking horizontal or centralized measures to address them.
-Compiles and maintains a centralized register of compliance of school units with regard to the submission of GEK and Civil Defense Plans.
-Strengthen the monitoring of the timely preparation and submission of these documents, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Regulations and the strengthening of the culture of prevention and safety in schools.
It is recalled that this report is the second currently carried out by the Audit Office on school safety issues. The first was published last Monday with the subject of examination of the hundreds of prefabricated classrooms that are placed in schools.
