Larnaca faces urgent need for new schools, says MP

New school units both in primary, secondary and special education are urgently needed in Larnaca, MP Prodromos Alambritis said on Wednesday.

The Disy MP, following onsite visits with the House education committee, highlighted the issue of overcrowding in schools across the district.

“We have elementary schools with over 400 students, middle schools with 500-600 students and high schools with 600 or more students,” Alambritis said, noting the large school sizes create multiple problems for students, parents, and staff.

“These sizes create issues of student discipline and delinquency, problems in school administration, [and decrease] quality of education because students [have to travel] to other catchment areas [and] laboratories get closed so as to be used as classrooms,” the MP noted.

Alambritis said creating a regional lyceum catchment area for ​​Ormidia, Xylotymbou and Xylophagou was imperative, so students do not have to travel as far as Livadia and Aradippou.

“It is necessary to create at least one gymnasium in the area of ​​Aradippou, Oroklini and Pyla,” he said, adding a relevant study would determine if a second one is also needed.

The rapid rise in housing development in the region has made opening new schools a dire necessity. Alambritis stressed the need to set up primary schools in Aradippou and Oroklini based on the increasing number of students.

Moreover, a modernised special school for Larnaca is necessary, since the existing Ayios Spyridon school is also overcrowded.

The MP said it was time to plan ahead and design the schools, taking into account upcoming new residential areas of the district and assess where an increase in student population is expected.

Data presented at the initiative of the Larnaca parents’ association and the teachers’ union (Oelmek) already attested to the need for action, to mitigate the already existing problem of overcrowding and prevent it in future, the MP said.