Parliamentary committee investigates safety and infrastructure issues in public schools

On October 15, 2026, the Parliamentary Audit Committee convened to examine two reports from the Audit Office regarding the use of prefabricated classrooms and health and safety standards in public schools. Lawmakers expressed severe criticism of the Ministry of Education, citing a lack of comprehensive planning and the chronic transformation of temporary modular units into permanent infrastructure.

The Audit Office revealed that there are 469 prefabricated classrooms currently in use, with 400 allocated to primary and pre-primary education and 69 to secondary schools. None of these units possess valid town planning permits. Furthermore, safety audits highlighted critical deficiencies: only 113 of 546 schools that requested fire safety certificates managed to obtain them, and 239 schools have yet to undergo mandatory electrical inspections.

Members of the committee, including Chrysanthos Savvides of DIKO and Nikos Kettiros of AKEL, attributed political responsibility for these failures to the Ministry. Allegations were made that the Ministry lacks updated data and operates without a clear strategic vision for new construction. Specific concerns were raised about delays in building new facilities, such as a site in Dromolaxia expropriated 25 years ago where no construction has commenced. The committee continues to demand detailed data to address these infrastructure gaps.