Only 19 schools in north earthquake-proofed in two years

Only 19 schools across the north have been renovated to become earthquake-resistant in the last 22 months, despite funds having been allocated to renovate a total of 127, opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Feliz Besim said on Monday. She was speaking i

By: cyprus-mail.com

Jan 07 2025
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Only 19 schools in north earth

She was speaking in ‘parliament’ as the issue of inadequate school buildings continues to blight the north, with many schools where buildings were deemed unsafe still teaching in portacabins despite almost two years having passed since the deadly earthquakes in Turkey which triggered the inspections.

The slow pace of renovations caused Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union (Ktos) leader Burak Mavis to say ahead of the start of this academic year that “portacabin classrooms cannot be our destiny”.

“Portacabins have ceased to be a means to an end and have been turned into an end goal. They have even been placed in schools where the buildings are structurally sound but that are overcrowded,” he said.

He had added that the north’s earthquake committee had not yet received earthquake safety reports regarding a total of 66 schools, while 58 schools’ cases have now been discussed.

Some schools were initially moved to temporary buildings following last year’s earthquakes.

A protocol was signed by the ‘education ministry’ and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of civil engineers (IMO) to inspect and examine school buildings, with a number of them declared unsafe. A total of nine schools were then declared “heavily damaged” by the IMO, while others also required renovations and reinforcements.

However, teachers have since become frustrated with the perceived slow pace of renovations, among other issues, and held a protest outside the ‘education ministry’ building.

Even after inspections took place, the ceiling of the canteen at a school in Famagusta collapsed during the February school holidays this year, sparking further concerns among parents and teachers.

Issues were also raised over the placement of the portacabins, with Cyprus Turkish secondary education teachers’ union (Ktoeos) chairwoman Selma Eylem pointing out that portacabins at Lapithos’ Yavuzlar high school had been placed on a dried-up river bed.

‘Education minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu had said in September that a total of 218 portacabins had been placed in schools across the north in preparation for the forthcoming academic year, at a total cost of 48.8 million TL (€1.3m at the time).

However, Eylem said the figure was likely “higher than stated”.

“How many schools could he have built with this money? How many classrooms and buildings could he have built? He should come out and explain all of this,” she added.