Elche Council is completing the installation of air conditioning at five municipal nursery schools: Don Julio, Don Crispín, Don Honorio, Rosa Fernández, and Els Xiquets, totalling 1.7 million euros.
Mayor Pablo Ruz and Councillor for Education, María Bonmatí, visited the Don Julio nursery school this morning. The internal connections, including pipe installation and electrical system adaptation, have already been completed, and exterior work will continue.
Thus, classes for almost 500 youngsters at the five municipal preschools will begin next Monday, with no disruption to teaching activities, with the goal of finishing the work by early October.
“This project will make refrigerated air a reality in the five municipal nursery schools, thanks to an investment of €1.7 million, one of the largest in the last 20 years,” according to the mayor. The objective is to help “students receive the highest quality education in very old facilities, because the priority is for children and teachers to be in an optimal and suitable environment, which is a must.”
Ruz also stated that the municipal government intends to extend air conditioning to the rest of the city’s schools, despite the fact that the most recently constructed buildings, such as Building 37, Las Bayas, and El Altet, already have air conditioning “as is required, but there are still many schools that do not have air conditioning in their classrooms.”
At the same time, the 80 portable air conditioning units built at the start of the legislative period in these five institutions will be given to preschool classes in public schools.
“This isn’t an expense, it’s an investment, so that Elche continues to be the best city possible,” said the governor.
The Education Councillor remarked that the installation of air conditioning “will be a historic milestone for the little ones, but also for municipal staff, who have been providing service and care for more than 50 years without adequate air conditioning.”
In this respect, she stated that the goal is “to provide quality of life and the best service, so that the more than 540 students at these schools are safe, happy, and perfectly cared for.” At the same time, she mentioned that over the summer, more maintenance was done at the preschools, such as replacing playground equipment and constructing shade sails.
Anabel Antón, director of the Don Julio Nursery School, emphasised the necessity of air conditioning as a means of improving educational quality in Elche. “This action was urgent and has finally arrived; emotional and physical well-being is paramount to us.” She also praised the families for their “understanding and involvement” and the school staff for their “efforts so that we can reopen as normal next Monday.”
Author: Derek Appleton
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