Twelve new school canteens will be incorporated next academic year 2023-2024 to the 269 already existing in public educational centres in the Murcia region, including San Pedro, according to regional government sources in a statement.

The works, which represent a global investment of 700,000 euro, financed between the Autonomous Community and the majority of the town councils, are underway in most of the centres. They mainly consist of enabling spaces for a dining room, food preparation area, and adaptation of toilets for people with reduced mobility.

The schools benefitting from the investment are Villa Alegría de San Pedro del Pinatar; San Fulgencio de Pozo Estrecho; Príncipe de España de Alhama de Murcia; Vista Alegre de Las Torres de Cotillas; La Purísima de Molina de Segura; Pascual Martínez de Pliego; San Bartolomé de Cieza; Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta de Archena; and CEIP Artero y Obispos García Ródenas de Bullas. In Murcia itself, work is being carried out in CEIP Barriomar and Pintor Pedro Cano de Puente Tocinos. In total, they will be able to serve about 600 students.

The acting Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Employment, Víctor Marín, who this week visited the works being carried out for the opening of a dining room at the CEIP Barriomar 74 (Murcia), has indicated that “with these new facilities, the total number of canteens reaches 281, which will serve 18,000 students”.

“In the last four years the regional government has increased the number of dining rooms by 29,” according to the acting head of Education, who has visited the works together with the mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta.

This work is in addition to the million-euro budgeted improvements taking place in schools around the region, consisting mainly of the replacement and repair of the pavement and perimeter fencing, installation of continuous rubber elastic pavement, reconstruction and remodelling of toilets, renovation of the sewerage pipeline, and action against humidity and leaks by placing new waterproofing, among other actions.