A visit to the Gravas school complex

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS), visited the Gravas school complex on Friday, 23 October. There he held an extended discussion with parents and teachers about the problem that has kept the school closed. He was accompanied by the party's education spokesperson, Ioanna Laliotou, and her deputy, Panagiotis Kassianos. Tsipras later published a post and a video from the visit, in which he listened to the anxiety of parents who want their children back in classrooms. The school has been shut for three weeks because of a smell of gas.

Why the school remains shut

According to Tsipras, the investigations carried out so far have not found the cause of the smell, but they have revealed a series of other serious problems. He pointed to significant gaps in the safety of the buildings, which he linked to what he described as a policy of neglect toward public schooling. The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) has produced a report on the complex, and Tsipras said its findings should serve as a warning bell. He called for immediate maintenance of the facilities and for thousands of school complexes across the country to be checked in the wake of the Gravas case.

Criticism of the government

Tsipras accused the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis of having 36 billion from the Recovery and Resilience Fund at its disposal while directing many of those funds to associates through direct awards. He said nothing was provided for modernising and strengthening infrastructure such as schools. He also argued that the government is hiding and unable to take responsibility, passing the blame elsewhere whenever it suits. His post ends with a demand that the investigations of the competent bodies be intensified.

“This situation cannot continue any longer.”

Responsibility and wider concerns

Tsipras said that thousands of school complexes exist across Greece, not of the same size, but the same kind of problem. He described the Gravas situation as a wake-up call for school infrastructure nationwide. He said citizens should not feel that the state stands against them instead of beside them, describing residents being passed like a ball between municipalities and the government. He also said some actors were trying to gain political advantage from the situation. On responsibility, he said that both the municipal authority and the government bear blame, but that the municipal authority is trying to take on its share while the government is hiding.

“Thousands of 'Gravas' exist across Greece, not of this size, but it is the same thing.”

What he is asking for

Tsipras's closing call is for the investigations to be stepped up, for every risk to be ruled out, and for the necessary steps to be taken so that students can return to classrooms safely. He framed the case as a question of the resilience of infrastructure across Greece, arguing that the public should be able to rely on the state. Laliotou and Kassianos joined him in the discussions with parents and teachers at the school.