As reported by Alicante Plaza, faults and a lack of maintenance in Orihuela's state schools were discussed at a full council meeting (pleno) at Orihuela Town Hall. Councillor for education Vicente Pina was not at the meeting, and mayor Pepe Vegara answered the complaints. Two people spoke in the public participation slot: María Teresa Haba, head of CEIP Playas de Orihuela primary school, and a representative of pupils' families.
Haba said the school has more than 600 pupils. According to her, the lift has not worked since an accident involving two people. The boiler has been out of action for about a year, and the school could again be left without heating this winter.
She said other schools in the municipality have similar problems: faulty lifts, poor accessibility, worn sports courts, repairs still waiting to be done, features at risk of falling, and faults with heating and electrical panels. She also mentioned difficulties in carrying out works, including the fitting out of children's play areas and Plan Edificant projects. Haba asked the town hall to draw up a works calendar for each school, naming who is responsible and giving expected dates, and to find a solution for climate control at her school.
The mayor replied that school maintenance is organised together with the town hall's own work crews. After the previous supplies contract ended, the education department joined the town hall's new general supplies contract. He said the paperwork for a boiler maintenance contract is in its final stage, with the technical specification (pliego técnico) being finalised. The future contract will cover inspection, adjustment and repair of the installations.
For an immediate fix in schools without heating, including Playas de Orihuela, the town hall has prepared a stopgap contract (contrato puente), the mayor said. He added that the town hall had previously stated that the education department cannot commit in advance to funding and future upkeep of climate-control equipment where this goes beyond ordinary maintenance. He said he is ready to hold a new meeting with the school's management, together with the education councillor, to discuss the state of the contracts and planned works.
The families' representative questioned Pina's statement that electrical panel work has been done in schools. According to the families, the management of CEIP Francisco Girona de Arneva knew nothing about a visit by a town hall technician to repair or replace the panel. They said the same applies, by their information, at La Murada, Josefina Manresa, Nuestra Señora de Desamparados, Miguel Hernández and Fernando de Loaces. She asked the town hall to say what has actually been done in each school and to provide a full register with dates and the work carried out.
In reply, the town hall listed the work: a full repair of the electrical panel at La Murada; replacement of residual-current devices (diferenciales) at Miguel Hernández, Fernando de Loaces and Josefina Manresa, with the circuit breakers (magnetotérmicos) also updated at Fernando de Loaces; repairs at Arneva and Desamparados; and work at Torremendo and Virgen de la Puerta.
The town hall did not say how long the stopgap contract will run, when heating will be installed at Playas de Orihuela, or when the lift will be repaired. The source carries no comment from Pina.