We may have about two more months ahead of us until schools open, however, in order for them to reopen in September smoothly and as they should, enough must be done and various issues must be settled during the summer. In addition to staffing the school units with teaching staff, checks are also required for various issues, with the main goal of ensuring the safety of both the premises and the students and teachers who will return. However, it is not only the school administrations that are responsible but also the School Boards, which are in charge of specific duties and obligations.
For this reason, a few days ago, the Technical Services of the Ministry of Education sent to the heads of the School Boards, a particularly "rich" circular on "School buildings – Actions for the smooth start of the new school year", which records everything they need to do and settle within the summer.
In fact, it is made clear to them that it is their "permanent obligation" to proceed preventively and in a timely manner to all relevant actions and controls for the implementation of the necessary works, in order to ensure the appropriate conditions for the smooth and safe operation of the school units, before the start of the new school year.
It is pointed out that special attention and priority should be given to issues related to safety and health, applying, among other things, relevant circulars, which the Technical Services reattach and send to the School Boards.
As mentioned, specifically, the School Boards must take care of the following:Inspection of school buildings for the detection of detached elements – Waterproofing control and gutter cleaning: The Ephorates are called upon to assign, either to their technical staff, or to a contractor, or by hiring the services of experienced craftsmen, the preventive control of the coatings of all school buildings under their jurisdiction. In addition to the obviously detached sections, which should be removed and repaired immediately, they should also carry out further inspections in all departments of the school buildings to identify possible detachment that is not visible with visual inspection.Inspection of electrical installations and the installation of intercoms in public school buildings: The Technical Services remind the obligation to control and implement the required repair works of the electrical installations and the installation of intercoms in all public school buildings of each Ephorate, in order to fully comply with the provisions of the "Electricity" Legislation.Issuance of a Fire Protection Certificate: According to a relevant law, the School Boards are reminded that they must arrange for the issuance of a Fire Protection Certificate for their schools, in case they have not yet done so. It is pointed out that this certificate remains valid for three years from the date of its issuance, and therefore, the School Boards are invited by the Ministry to ensure all the required renewals.
At this point, in the relevant circular attached, reference is made to the Fire Service. Specifically, it is stated: "The Cyprus Fire Service, after inspecting the schools and recording any observations, is the competent Service to inform you about the possible appropriate actions that should be implemented and the specifications of the fire-resistant materials that will be used. The expense for the appropriate actions, always in accordance with the possible recommendations of the Fire Service, can be covered by the budget of the School Board or by the additional sponsorship to the School Boards for the implementation of works related to safety and health issues or by available balances of previous years of your Ephorate – after consultation with the accounting department of the Ministry of Education – if any. In case there are no balances available, you should include the above works in your Ephorate's budget proposal for the next school year and submit it for approval."
School Clinics: In the detailed note sent by the Technical Services, reference is also made to the premises used as school clinics as in many cases they are converted into anything other than what they should be (storage spaces, etc.). According to the instructions, the School Boards are called upon to ensure the use and utilization of the School Clinic exclusively by the competent Medical Services, since in order to deal with incidents related to the mental and physical health of students, specially designed spaces are required that provide conditions of comfort and privacy assurance.Prefabricated classrooms in public schools: For the now well-known prefabricated classrooms that have been placed in schools for years, the Technical Services note that they are transferred and placed in public schools of all levels for the purpose of meeting housing or operational needs. These classrooms are the property of the Ministry of Education and are located in public educational institutions for as long as it is deemed necessary and until the need arises to transfer them to another school unit.
As far as the responsibility for the maintenance of prefabricated classrooms and their electromechanical installations is concerned, this lies with the relevant School Boards. It is also pointed out that in case of damage, damage or destruction, then the school Boards and/or the School Administrations must inform the competent officers of the Technical Services to issue instructions for their repair.
