No utilization of the plot of the former Dianellio Technical School to meet the educational needs of Larnaca is foreseen in the near future, according to a letter from the Ministry of Education sent a few days ago to the Larnaca School Ephorate. Despite the assurances that were given from time to time to the city authorities for the creation of a school unit in this area, the latest letter from the competent ministry states that the construction of a new high school in Dianellio is not included in the medium-term budget program 2022-2024, so the request for a new school building can not be implemented at least at this stage.
He also notes that within 2022 the study of the Ministry of Education is expected to be completed, which will demonstrate the need or not to build a new high school in the city of Larnaca. In the same letter, the ministry informs the local school board that in order to meet the educational needs of the Larnaca region, it is ready to announce a tender for a general upgrade, extensions and configuration of the existing Drosia High School at a cost of three million euros.
However, this decision raises many questions in the school ephorate and the city authorities, as it has been known for many years, that the Drosia High School, located on Griva Digeni Avenue, must be relocated due to the old age of the building and the problems arising mainly from the fact that the building is built on Turkish Cypriot land belonging to Evkaf. For the last eight years, the Larnaca authorities have been waiting for the implementation of the commitment for the construction of a new school building on the site of the former Dianellios Technical School, but, as everything shows, the wait will continue. We remind you that in 2014 it was decided that the Ministry of Education would recover the large piece of the former Dianellio Technical School, giving in exchange to the Dianellio Orphanage, which previously owned the space, another state land. The recovery of the space by the ministry was done exclusively to be used for the educational needs of Larnaca.
AKEL Larnaca discomfort
In the meantime, due to the continuing inaction on the issue of the development of the Dianellio area, the EU of AKEL Larnaca issued a statement, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the stagnation observed in the issue. “After so many years, the study on the need to build a high school in Larnaca is still expected to be completed. The issue has recently occupied the Parliament, due to the bad situation that prevails in the area and the image of abandonment and shame that it presents. The Federation of Parents' Associations of Larnaca constantly expresses its protest against the situation that prevails in our schools in relation to their infrastructure, the overpopulation and the general problems that are caused due to these issues. We are witnessing the mockery of Larnaca on this issue as well. “Promises were made in many meetings that not only were not kept, but constantly refer to studies”, the announcement notes. The EU of AKEL Larnaca calls on the competent bodies to act immediately for the utilization of the space of the former Dianellio Technical School, emphasizing that the issue concerns the quality of education of students as well as the quality of life and safety of citizens.
