Pupils Are Frozen in Classrooms

Although, it is already winter no central heating have not been installed in schools yet. Both teachers and pupils get frozen in classrooms. Parents complain about school principals and demand to resolve the problem. Most part of Tbilisi based schools has similar complaints.

Although, repair works and central heating installation should have been finished until September, the promise was not kept by authority. Parents, pupils and teachers do not care about the restored school buildings; cold troubles them most of all. Finally, teachers decided to use electric heating. However, school budget is losing by paying large bills on electricity, but it is the only chance to continue studies.

However, many schools cannot have electric heating either, not having either electricity or wires are damaged.

We were told at school # 43 in Asatiani Street that they use only electric heating, because boilers have not been installed in their school yet. One of the teachers told us, "they have promised us to install central heating, but now we use electric heating. As for the bills, they are paid from the school budget."

Situation is too difficult in the school # 48 having no electric heating either. Manager of the school, Ketevan Lelashvili told us that parents of their pupils continuously complain. "We are freezing. We have nothing to get worm. There is no electricity and we can not use electric heating either. Pupils and their parents are rebelling all the time. We have applied to the Ministry of Education in vain. Radiators are brought in the school but the school is not supplied with gas yet."

As for the pupils, they cannot stand sitting in the frozen classrooms and often miss lessons. "Seven or eight pupils miss lessons everyday. Some of them have cold, the others have temperature. We can not listen to our teachers because of cold. The teachers themselves are shivering. What else can we say? Let them install heating."

Parents complain about the board of the schools and the Ministry as well. "Every parent worries about her/his child's health. Nobody wants her healthy child to return home ill. Have they inquired how many children got ill in the freezing classrooms and how much money is spent on their medical treatment? We should not have heating problem in the twenty-first century. They have made such PR on TV about our schools before elections, I expected my children to learn in palaces and not in ordinary school buildings," said one of the parents.

Officials from the Ministry of Education say the following: "This year, Mega program 'Iakob Gogebashvili' aimed at rehabilitation of 217 schools in big cities and 52 schools in the districts.  All 217 schools will be rehabilitated till the end of the year. While in districts, 70 schools are restored instead of 52. Thus, the total expenses of the repair works amounted to 75 million GEL instead of 60 million."

"It was difficult to predict how the installation of the central heating could hinder studies and repair works. That's why, the boilers of the central heating were ordered at the end of the repair works, what resulted in the late delivery. The problem will be settled late in January. Boilers will be delivered at 90 schools out of 274. These schools have their central heating projects approved, or will soon be approved."

Eka Gulua