The educational community in Orihuela has reacted cautiously to the town hall’s new 2026–2030 School Maintenance Plan, welcoming the promised investment but warning that delays and staff shortages could undermine its impact.
At a meeting held on 18 February at CEIP Josefina Manresa, headteachers of public schools and representatives of parents’ associations met with the Councillor for Education to review the plan’s details. While they praised the presentation of a structured programme with clear figures and a timetable, directors and families expressed concern over slow administrative procedures and a lack of dedicated personnel.
According to those present, many schools share the same unresolved problems: ageing infrastructure, delayed repairs, poor oversight of works and an inefficient system for handling maintenance requests. They described the situation as “unsustainable” and called for a coordinated, urgent response from the entire municipal government, not just the Education Department.
The plan foresees €6.6 million in investment over four years and will be put out to European tender, with contracts not expected to be awarded until October or November 2026. Parents’ representatives remain sceptical about both the tender process and the timeline. As an interim measure, the council has announced 21 minor contracts, one per school, of up to €15,000 each, which could be operational within a month.
Directors and families also criticised what they see as a constant passing of responsibility between the town hall and the regional education authority, leaving schools stuck in bureaucratic limbo while buildings deteriorate.
As a result, the school community has unanimously demanded an urgent, cross-department working group, involving Education, Infrastructure, Human Resources and the Mayor’s Office. They insist that staffing shortages and coordination failures cannot be solved by Education alone, and say they will closely monitor deadlines, accountability and follow-up.
