Primary school children on strike in Parekklisia

Primary school children in Parekklisia engaged in a two-hour strike on Tuesday over inadequate facilities at the school.

The strike was organised by the school’s parents’ association, with pupils and parents lining the street outside the school holding banners demanding more funding and better-quality conditions.

Slogans included “we want classrooms and schools, the plutocracy will pay for this crisis”, and “let the ministries use portacabins, we demand modern schools”.

Parents’ association chairwoman Stella Hadjispyrou spoke at the protest, describing the school’s children as “pupils of an inferior god”.

“Despite Limassol’s rapid development, schools in the east of the city are treated as the city’s poor relation,” she said.

She added that despite previous assurances of funds to be allocated, no extra funds for the school had been included in the 2023 state budget, and she had been officially informed that there would also be no extra funds in any state budget through 2026.

“The school has about 200 pupils and one old building from the 1960s, which gets intensely humid and ends up with children getting sick,” she said.

With the school growing, a portacabin has been installed, and there are now no longer any art, home economics, science, or music classrooms, as they have all had to be converted for everyday non-specialised use.

Concluding her speech, she warned that pupil strikes may continue after Christmas should demands not be met.

In response, the education ministry described the strike as “unnecessary, excessive, and appropriate”.

They said they had “already prepared drafts” for a redesign of the school’s premises, including the construction of new extensions to buildings.

They added that once the planning process has concluded, they will then determine the budget for the project.