Flooded trailer classrooms at a Larnaca public high school prompted the head of the secondary school parents’ association to issue a slew of complaints on Wednesday.
Kostas Kosta said flooding at Evryviades gymansium happens every time there are heavy rains. The school had been provided with trailers during upgrade works to the permanent school building, including earthquake-proofing.
“Of [the] five trailer classrooms one was unusable from the start,” Kosta said.
The roofs of the remaining four leak and after the [latest] rains one had been totally flooded, while teachers had to use buckets to cope with the situation in the remaining three, he said.
The rains affected cables and created a hazardous situation, necessitating the removal of computers and other devices, as well as the students.
Insulation for the roofs of the four classrooms had been requested since the year’s start but nothing had been done, Kosta said.
Parents had now demanded an immediate response from the ministry of education, he said.
Flooding was not the only neglected issue and at the school suffered noise pollution from heavy machinery operating to earthquake-proof the building and works being done in front of the school.
Some measures had been taken to reduce the noise during lessons, but these were not adequate, Kosta said.
Only one entrance had been left usable, due to the works, and its access was from a dirt yard which “practically turned into a lake” whenever it rained, he added.
“For three years we have asked for the yard to be covered with concrete to prevent water pooling and stagnant puddles,” he said.
The hiring of a traffic warden had also been requested in vain and there was a serious likelihood of accidents or injuries, exacerbated by the single entrance and exit point to the school.
The teachers and the school head were having to act as traffic wardens, Kosta complained.
While putting up with issues due to earthquake-proofing was understandable, “other problems could easily be dealt with and the authorities ought to have acted to resolve matters”, Kosta said.