Costa del Sol parents raise 4,300 euros to ensure their children have air conditioning in school

Education

The parents' association at the Santa Amalia primary school in Fuengirola have until 30 June to raise the money they need to add to the regional government's budget

José Carlos García

"For years, the PTA has been fighting to ensure our children have what they deserve: air conditioning in every classroom. Our children's well-being can't wait any longer!"

This is the message of the poster the Suel parents' association (Ampa) of the Santa Amalia primary school in Fuengirola has created. With it, parents have launched a fundraising campaign to complete the installation of air conditioning in the school's classrooms.

The school is part of the Andalusian regional government's thermal comfort plan, but the budget is not enough to install air conditioning units in all classrooms.

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The Santa Amalia school has received just over 14,000 euros from the regional government. At the moment, the Ampa association believes they would need another 4,300 euros to complete the whole installation. This is the campaign's target.

Thanks to the mobilisation of the parents in WhatsApp groups, they have already raised over 1,500 euros. "We're in the final stretch, we can't allow the situation to stop us," they stated. "Together, we will make this dream a reality."

The goal is to install air conditioning in 22 classrooms. The Ampa believes that the regional government's budget will not be able to cover "five or six classrooms", as principal Francisco Gómez told SUR.

The school has been working on this initiative for some time. An engineer has already visited it several times to develop a project plan. To include more classrooms, the engineer will have to revisit the school, modify the plan and submit it to Fuengirola town hall.

"We have to see if it's feasible, but I think it is and there wouldn't be any problem if it were necessary to increase the electrical capacity," Gómez said.

The school's expansion over the years

The Santa Amalia primary school was built between 1989 and 1990.

Although the Ampa has denounced the deficiencies of the electrical system, Gómez said that the system had recently undergone renovations with the implementation of new technologies.

"It's a school that has grown considerably in recent years," Gómez said. In fact, of the nine educational levels at the school (from three-year-old nursery to sixth grade), two already have three classes per grade. "Depending on enrolment", another grade could have three classes per grade during the next school year.

These 21 classrooms, plus the special education needs classroom, are the ones the air conditioning project aims to address as a priority.

The fundraising campaign has 30 June as a deadline. The thermal comfort plan must be fully operational before 30 September, but the Santa Amalia primary school hopes to begin installing the equipment in the coming days.