Newsroom
It would take about €1 billion for the government’s school construction unit to handle all the work it needs to do, its director told lawmakers, warning that current funding is nowhere near enough.
Speaking to a parliamentary education committee, Andreas Marangos said his department has plans ready for all the school projects that need to happen. But when those projects actually start depends on whether the Ministry of Finance approves the money.
For 2026, the development budget for the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth technical services is €35 million. Marangos said that’s very limited compared to the number of projects waiting, so officials have to pick and choose which schools get fixed first.
One of the biggest concerns is earthquake safety. A nationwide effort to strengthen 730 school buildings began back in 2000. Most have been upgraded, but 78 schools are still on the list. Those were once considered low-risk, but after 26 years, new studies show some are now in such poor shape they may need to be demolished and rebuilt instead of repaired.
He also pointed out that construction costs have shot up over the past decade, making everything more expensive and harder to complete.
In simple terms, there's a long list of school repairs, a small budget, and rising costs, and that’s slowing everything down.
