Alarm over Corfu School Infrastructure: Teachers Denounce Blame Shifting
Corfu, May 5 – A joint and particularly scathing statement from the SEPE and ELME teachers’ unions of Corfu has brought to light a critical issue concerning the safety and structural integrity of school buildings on the island. The unions are vehemently protesting the directive from local Education Directorates, which has mandated teachers to undertake an “on-the-day” assessment of structural problems and safety concerns within school units.
The unions emphasize that this directive represents an unprecedented attempt to shift responsibility from the state to educators. They argue that teachers do not possess the necessary scientific training (as engineers or safety technicians) nor the institutional authority to certify the structural stability or fire protection of buildings. This move, they assert, is a dangerous precedent that could lead to misallocated accountability.
Responsibility Lies with Technical Services, Not Teachers
According to the statement, the responsibility for inspecting and restoring infrastructure lies exclusively with the Municipal Technical Services, KTYP S.A., and the state as a whole. Teachers underline that the reality of old and unmaintained buildings in Corfu is already well-known through continuous documents and mobilizations. They characterize the demand for “on-the-day” answers or minutes from Teachers’ Associations as a practice lacking institutional basis under Laws 1566/1985 and 4823/2021.
The unions highlight that while teachers are best suited to identify obvious issues like falling plaster or leaks, they are not equipped to assess complex structural problems such as building stability, fire safety, or the condition of electrical installations. They firmly state that teachers cannot be held responsible for any problems they failed to record in response to the aforementioned document.
Long-Standing Issues and Lack of Funding
The reality in Corfu’s schools has been known for years:
- Schools operate in old, unmaintained, and unsuitable buildings.
- There are serious problems with electrical installations, roofs, dampness, and outdoor areas.
- Some school units endanger the safety of students and teachers.
Instead of substantive interventions, funding, and project planning, there is an attempt to transfer the responsibility of recording – and indirectly, the accountability – to teachers, creating a dangerous precedent. The unions point out that they have repeatedly raised these issues, including a recent rally for school buildings, and numerous interventions, mobilizations, and announcements regarding flooded schools, falling plaster, and dangerous conditions.
Call for Withdrawal of Directives and Proper Action
The SEPE and ELME unions are calling for the following actions:
- The Primary and Secondary Education Directorates to immediately withdraw the relevant documents.
- The Municipality and the State to assume their responsibilities with full, immediate, substantive, and scientifically documented controls for the safety and hazardousness of buildings, and to record all necessary interventions for each school building.
- School units to refuse to accept responsibilities that do not concern them and to record only problems related to equipment and material infrastructure.
The unions emphasize that the demand for Teachers’ Associations to convene on this specific issue is not based on any obligation arising from the current institutional framework, including Laws 1566/1985 and 4823/2021. Furthermore, the Secondary Education Directorate’s demand for an “on-the-day” recording of problems reveals the lack of seriousness with which they are addressing school issues.
The SEPE and ELME of Corfu will continue their struggle for modern and safe schools, with the responsibility resting on the state and the competent authorities, not on the shifting of responsibilities to teachers.
Source: kerkyra.net
