Nearly a thousand students from Vila Real de Santo António Secondary School again demonstrated this morning against the lack of security of the temporary containers that continue to be used as classrooms.
The protest brought together all of the school's students, who chose not to attend classes and claim the use of the 21 new classrooms already completed and not yet used due to an impasse between the contractor and Parque Escolar.
«In the containers we and the teachers suffer», «Containers without conditions and we, soldiers, fighting without ammunition», «We are Students and not stuck sardines», «We want to do physical education» or «Classroom today is in the street» were some of the messages inscribed on posters held by students.
Luís Gomes, Mayor of VRSA, who was also present at the protest, said that “the municipality remains solidary with the school community and with the parents' association and maintains its public position to advise against the use of school facilities secondary school, responsible to Parque Escolar for any accident that may occur».
This demonstration is held less than a week after the report of the emergency inspection carried out by the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) to the school was known, which, among other deficiencies, points out the obstruction of the evacuation paths of the buildings, the absence of security conditions of all containers that currently function as classrooms and cafeteria, the deficient functioning of emergency lighting and alarm equipment, the deficient installation and maintenance of fire extinguishers and the lack of plants and safety signs.
«We have in our hands a report that recognizes the danger that the municipality, parents, students and teachers have been warning about for a long time and we hope that by February 10th, Parque Escolar will correct a whole list of irregularities or we will run the risk of the school closing, leaving a thousand students without classes», continues the mayor.
The ANPC report results from the urgent inspection requested by the City Council of VRSA, in early January, to the Authority for Working Conditions, Civil Protection, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, as it understands that the monoblocks that are currently operating as classrooms, reprographics, stationery, canteen and bar are putting students, teachers and staff at risk.
The requalification of the VRSA Secondary School, in operation since 1963, was integrated into the Project for the Modernization of Secondary Schools, promoted by the tutelage and developed by EPE. The contract was budgeted at 12 million euros, with the estimated duration of execution being a period of sixteen months.
The interventions should have been completed by the end of 2011, but the lack of payments to the contractor, the cost reduction processes during the work, as well as the delay in issuing execution orders - by Parque Escolar - caused the delay of the works and work stoppage for almost a year.
In addition to VRSA students, the Secondary School receives secondary school students from the neighboring municipalities of Alcoutim and Castro Marim.
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