The AMPAS and AFAS of Orihuela schools have responded to Councillor Vicente Pina’s recent opinion piece, published in the Spanish press, rejecting political attacks and highlighting serious infrastructure problems in the city’s schools as, once again, he attempts to divert attention by resorting to political attacks to avoid taking responsibility in his position as the public manager of the Education department.
Excusatio non petita, accusatio manifesta — an apology not asked for is a clear accusation.
The issue is not who reports the problems, but the problems themselves. Families, school management teams, and AMPAS and AFAS do not invent defects. Leaks, unusable bathrooms, broken boilers, lack of gas supply, and elevators in disrepair are not political opinions—they are verifiable facts affecting thousands of students in Orihuela.
It is also worth remembering that we send our children to these schools every day, and some of them have not had the necessary electrical inspection (OCA – Authorized Control Body) for up to 12 years.
Is this politicization of families? No. Families are fully capable of being objective and observing that the management of schools is very much in need of improvement.
Seven years without a gas contract is not a casual oversight. That a public complaint was needed to even begin attempting to regularize such a serious situation demonstrates accumulated inaction. Resolving a problem that has been ignored for so long is not a political achievement—it is the minimum fulfilment of an obligation.
Blaming the past does not fix the present. Citizens have heard the same justification repeated for over two years: responsibility always lies with those who were in charge before. Mistakes by previous administrations cannot serve as an excuse to perpetuate issues that remain unresolved today. Meanwhile, students continue attending deteriorating schools, and management teams are forced to handle daily emergencies without sufficient support.
What families legitimately expect is that children in Orihuela have access to safe, adequate, and dignified educational conditions, regardless of who governed in the past. The current responsibility is to act, correct, and ensure these deficiencies are not allowed to persist.
Public education is not a battlefield—it is a legal obligation. Families are not politicizing education, and any criticism is not a personal attack. Criticism is legitimate, necessary, and part of the accountability required of a democratic local government. AMPAS and AFAS are only concerned with one thing: that, finally, one of the political parties in this council resolves the issues of school management and maintenance.
Every improvement promised now arrives late, announced without a fixed timeline, and is usually the result of persistent pressure from families, teachers, and the opposition. What families demand is planning, budget allocation, and foresight—not constant improvisation.
We are not seeking confrontation: we demand that children in Orihuela study in dignified conditions. If the councillor interprets these reports as a personal attack, it demonstrates that he has lost perspective on his role. Citizens need verifiable facts, not self-congratulatory statements.
In any case, the responsibility of the Mayor should not be forgotten, as he oversees the Economic Resources Department, nor that of the Councillor for Infrastructure. Both are directly involved in this issue: the first by increasing the school maintenance budget via emergency measures, and the second by sending maintenance teams to schools.
We will continue to monitor, inform, and demand what is rightfully due to our children: safe public education, properly maintained and managed with rigor.
We do not care how deep the hole is; we only care that it is filled in.
Signed by:
- AFA CEIP Miguel Hernández (Orihuela)
- AFA CEIP Playas de Orihuela (Orihuela Costa)
- AFA CEIP Los Dolses (Orihuela Costa)
- AMPA CEIP Andrés Manjón (Orihuela)
- AMPA CEIP Fernando Loaces (Orihuela)
- AMPA CEIP Josefina Manresa (Orihuela)
- AMPA CEIP Virgen de los Desamparados (Los Desamparados)
- AMPA CEIP Virgen de la Puerta (Orihuela)
- AMPA CEIP Rincón de Bonanza (Raiguero de Bonanza)
- AFA CEIP Nuestra Señora de Monserrate (Molins)
- AMPA CEIP Nuestra Señora del Pilar (La Campaneta)
- APA CEIP San Bartolomé (San Bartolomé)
