Pentayia primary school deemed unsafe after earthquake inspections

The primary school in the village of Pentayia, near Lefka, has been deemed unsafe after earthquake inspections were carried out on its building.

As a result, the building will not be used when Turkish Cypriot children return to schools next Monday, with four portacabins set to be placed nearby and used instead.

There are currently 70 pupils registered at the school, though that number is expected to increase slightly as the north’s school registration period is still ongoing.

After the decision was made by inspectors, the undersecretary of the north’s ‘education ministry’ visited the site and began to plan the work to be done to make the building safe.

The process draw criticism from Lefka civil society platform spokesman Turkay Fotali, who asked why inspections were only being carried out a week before the term starts.

“Why didn’t the state inspect [the buildings] during the last holiday period? What do they expect to achieve and do within a week? An unhealthy, unsafe educational environment is being prepared for our children”, he said.