Cyprus MPs push for air conditioning in all schools this year

Cyprus's parliamentary education committee, teaching unions, parent associations and the Pancyprian School Boards Association (PSEM) have called for air conditioning to be installed and made operational in all schools, so that pupils and teachers have better and safer conditions for learning and work, as reported by Cyprus Mail's Greek-language coverage of the session.

The committee also pressed for a clear timetable for completing the installation and operation of the units. The Ministry of Education assured members that the project would be finished at 100% during the current school year.

Committee chairman Chrysanthos Savvides noted the absence of the Limassol, Paphos and Larnaca school boards, which were invited but did not attend, and suggested sending them a stern letter. AKEL MP Christos Christofides proposed summoning them instead.

Progress and problems

DIKO parliamentary spokesman Panikos Leonidou, who had tabled the issue, said the Christodoulides government has shown political will on a long-standing problem, and that significant progress has been made since air conditioners are already installed and working in several schools. But he said the final goal remains covering all schools, adding that technical and energy-related difficulties, especially in older buildings, are real but cannot justify further delays. He called for better coordination between the Ministry of Education, school boards, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) and the Electromechanical Services.

Deputy Director of Secondary General Education Dr Giorgos Koutsidis told the committee that energy upgrades, substation installations, low electrical loads, old wiring and safety concerns while crews work in schools have all contributed to the delay visible in the three phases of tenders. He said the ministry never stopped, prioritising lyceums and gymnasiums before moving on to primary schools and kindergartens, and repeated that the work should be 100% complete this school year.

A Finance Ministry representative said funding is available, with €5 million earmarked for this year and €10 million for 2027 if the budget is approved. Nicos Megalemos, president of the Nicosia School Board, said a specific guide on air-conditioning specifications is being followed by all, and that installations began in 2024. He argued that completion in 2027 is impossible, since EAC needs at least 18 months in places where substations are required.

An EAC representative said the authority received 219 applications over the past two years concerning inspection of air-conditioning installations: 142 were checked and 77 remain pending. OELMEK president Konstantinos Konstantinou said work has been done, but pupils still swelter at 40 degrees and want functional air conditioning in every classroom. POED president Myria Vassiliou said the start of the project is important, but the union wants a clear timetable and explained specifications, flagging inconsistencies in data and statements about which units work and which do not.

OLTEK general secretary Lenos Loizou said the Technical School of Agios Lazaros requested 20 air conditioners, had 12 approved and ended up with four. Some technical schools got units with help from donors and parents' associations, he said, while nothing was installed in Limassol, units in Nicosia's Third School do not work, and Paphos received nothing. Parents' representatives Yiannos Ioannou and Loizos Konstantinou described planning as a failure, citing units tripping every five minutes and broken or inadequate fans.