Costa del Sol parents fear early elections will delay schools

PARENTS from Mijas, the Teatinos district of Malaga City and Rincon de la Victoria gathered to protest outside the so-called Black Building provincial offices over delays to new schools.

The parents fear that recently announced early regional elections will add more delays to the construction of new schools promised by the Junta de Andalucia regional government.

In Teatinos, a district with more than 35,000 inhabitants and just one secondary school, residents have been demanding another for more than 10 years. Although the Junta promised to have the new school open in 2016, parents complain that so far no progress has been seen.

Temporary huts placed in Mijas’ Tamixa school car park to serve as classrooms for 450 children were announced as a temporary, one-year measure while the new Indira Ghandi school was built.

Yet five years down the line the children are still waiting for the promised school, which their parents complain was delayed by the Junta’s refusal to accept the site provided by the council.

Mar Villanueva, president of Prometo parents’ group in Teatinos, expressed disbelief that while funds for desperately needed schools were apparently unavailable there was plenty of money to spend on elections.