COASTAL CHILDREN SUFFER EDUCATION INDIFFERENCE

Many have accused the governing party of the municipality of Orihuela of putting the interests of the city way ahead of those of the coast. 

THE OPPOSITION believes that this is down simply to winning votes. The city is populated mainly by Spanish nationals who exercise their right to vote, and the coast predominantly by foreign residents who do not.
Whether this view is right or wrong never has it been so apparent as over the issue of schools and facilities for children. This year alone press have received information on numerous parks and schools being refurbished in Orihuela; where protests and petitions have been mounted to try and achieve the same for the coast.

This week parents from the Playa Flamenca School met in desperation as the construction of the new school remains at a standstill and their children and left in prefabs indefinitely. Meanwhile Mayor Monica Lorente visited a new school canteen installed at the CRA Azahar de la Matanza School at a cost of 21,892 Euros. This was described as a necessary service for the quality of life for school children.

Whilst the City children get a new cafeteria the children on the coast sit in prefabs. More than 450 children, mostly British, have been left in small and bleak prefabricated classrooms for seven years at Playa Flamenca school. The prefabs, placed side-by-side have the look and feel of a correctional institution and look anything but motivational and inspiring spaces to develop and educate children.

Inside the small, grey rooms are hot in the summer and cold in the winter and during the rains they leak, leaving children physically wet. However, finally, parents believed that the end was in sight when the PP government began building a new school nearby with a completion date of June 2010.

Unfortunately, in October 2009 construction work on the school stopped without explanation. Seven months on and there has still no communication or explanation from education bosses. Annoyed and desperate, parents gathered at the school recently at a meeting called by the Parents Association (AMPA) to discuss the situation and organise a protest. The meeting was led by AMPA president Lilian Seittiffe and Secretary Carmen Freire. Parents heard how despite repeated requests by telephone and in writing neither the head teacher nor the parents association had been given any reasons as to why the work has stopped or indeed when it will begin again. In fact, the authorities have not even bothered to answer the letters at all and telephone enquirers are informed that the letters are being dealt with.

Out of sheer frustration parents feel they have been left with no choice but to force the Orihuela government to give them some answers by raising the profile of their plight through the Spanish and English-language media with protests, marches and demonstrations.
 

SPECULATION
The meeting was told that once the authorities realised the parents were becoming unsettled they were told that work would start in three-weeks time, but believe this is an empty promise and indeed this week is the third week and it is all quiet on site.
 

There were still no reasons given during that phone conversation and of course rumours are rife. According to the grapevine the building work stopped because the school was too close to the motorway and would be dangerous for the children or another version is that the rooms nearest the motorway needed to be soundproofed.
 

These changes meant that the plans have had to be adjusted and sent back to the relevant departments for agreement and signing. Other rumours are based on lack of funding.
 

Some believe that the builder cannot carry on due the financial issues and other that the government has run out of money for the project. All is speculation and until the town hall gives official answers, speculation is all that the parents have to qualify the situation.
 

It seems the problems with the schools on the coast are not isolated to Playa Flamenca. There were also parents with children at Los Dolses School at the meeting and they were keen for the parents to create a joint platform and battle the issues together. Many agreed that more voices would be able to shout louder and hopefully, finally be heard by the government.

The issues were hotly debated and it was obvious that the audience felt passionately about their children’s education. After two hours of discussion, it was decided that the parents, through AMPA would issue pictures and information to the print and broadcast media to highlight the plight of the children. They will also be writing to every relevant education department and body demanding answers and a solution. The letter will outline the forming of a joint education platform and warn of further action if no response is received. The third step, should nothing happen in the short term will be a series of active protests.
 

One parent said: “No one from the government visits the schools on the coast, not Monica or her education councillor or the councillor for the coast.
 

Our schools and our children have been abandoned and we have been left with no option but to fight for their rights.”
The day after the meeting the Mayor of Orihuela, Monica Lorente, along with Parish Councilman, Antonio Rodriguez Murcia, and government team members, visited the CRA Azahar de La Matanza School and ate in the new canteen.

The mayor also used the occasion to mark the opening of Cultural Week for the Miguel Hernández centennial

celebrations by reading poems. In addition to the funds recently spent on the new canteen, the government were also keen to point out that last year the school also received more than 7,500 Euros for routine maintenance.

Surely then if the government is funding kitchens it must have the money to finish the new school at Playa Flamenca, a much more vital facility.
 

Reported in the Coast Rider 4 April 2010