Orihuela City Council has announced more than €100,000 of urgent repair and maintenance work at public schools—less than a week before thousands of pupils return to their classrooms.
Although the investment has been welcomed, the timing raises an obvious question: why has the council waited until the final days of the summer holiday to launch contracts covering work that was identified during the previous academic year?
The Department of Education has approved six service contracts worth a combined €100,702.25, including VAT. However, the companies responsible are only expected to begin visiting schools once the remaining administrative procedures have been completed.
With the new school year starting on September 9, much of the planned work is therefore unlikely to be finished before pupils and teachers return.
The programme covers building repairs, waterproofing, painting, metalwork, locksmith services, carpentry, damaged shutters, electrical systems, plumbing, aluminium windows and broken glass.
According to the council, these are not newly discovered problems. The repairs relate to needs that were detected and accumulated throughout the previous school year but could not be completed by municipal maintenance teams because specialist workers, equipment or materials were required.
That explanation makes the late timing even more difficult to understand. If the problems were already known, the lengthy summer closure should have provided the ideal opportunity to complete disruptive repairs while classrooms and playgrounds were empty.
Instead, contractors may now be working in and around schools after pupils have returned, potentially creating additional disruption and raising questions about whether some facilities will be fully ready for the first day of term.
Education councillor Vicente Pina said the investment would address “real problems” affecting the daily operation of the municipality’s schools.
“These are necessary and, in many cases, urgent works that we have been preparing for some time so they can be tackled comprehensively and effectively,” he said.
The funding includes €17,448.20 for building and waterproofing work, €17,968.50 for metalwork and locksmith services, €15,125 for painting, €17,000.50 for carpentry and shutter repairs, €15,433.55 for electrical improvements and €17,726.50 for plumbing, aluminium work and glazing.
Electrical repairs will include damaged wiring, replacement lighting, switches and entry-phone systems. Other work will involve school toilets, windows and broken glass.
The programme will cover schools across Orihuela city, the coast and surrounding villages. Those listed include Josefina Manresa, Fernando de Loazes, La Campaneta, Playas de Orihuela, La Matanza, La Murada, Ismael García, Los Dolses, Rincón de Bonanza, Antonio Sequeros, Andrés Manjón, Virgen de los Desamparados, La Aparecida, San Bartolomé, Miguel Hernández and Molins.
At CEIP Playas de Orihuela alone, the electrical work is valued at approximately €5,741.
Pina acknowledged that many school buildings are several decades old, with some approaching 50 years, and said continual intervention was necessary to keep them in reasonable condition.
However, the age of the buildings is hardly a new issue and reinforces the need for repairs to be planned and contracted well before the final week of the summer break.
Municipal teams only began preparatory work at the start of this week, including cleaning outdoor areas, removing undergrowth and carrying out low-level pruning.
The council says the most urgent jobs will be prioritised and that the schedule can be adjusted if further problems are discovered. Nevertheless, the late start means the authorities now face a race against time—and many of the promised improvements may remain unfinished when school gates reopen.
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