The mayor of Cabra, Fernando Priego, accompanied by the delegate for Education, Javier Fernández, visited the 'Andrés de Cervantes' Infant and Primary Education Center -CEIP- to mark the start of the school year. They were received by the center's director, Encarnación Castro, and presented the second edition of the 'Mejoramos tu cole' program, endowed with 200,000 euros.
Priego thanked the educational community for their work in ensuring a smooth start to the school year. The mayor recalled that nursery schools began on September 1st, while Secondary education will start next week, followed by university activities.
The City Council has carried out maintenance, conservation, and extraordinary cleaning tasks in public schools and their surrounding areas. "We want to convey our support, gratitude, and the wish that the academic year proceeds without any incidents to the entire educational community," stated the mayor.
The second 'Mejoramos tu cole' plan, funded by treasury surpluses, allocates 200,000 euros to works and investments in the four public schools, averaging 50,000 euros per center. Improvements include accessibility in the gymnasium area of CEIP ‘Andrés de Cervantes’, renovation of restrooms at CEIP ‘Carmen de Burgos’, a second phase of intervention in the courtyard of CEIP ‘Virgen de la Sierra’, and upgrades to the courtyards of CEIP ‘Juan Valera’.
At CEIP ‘Andrés de Cervantes’, the project will enhance safety and accessibility around the gymnasium, improve hygienic-sanitary conditions, and address water accumulation and runoff issues. The project is drafted and awaiting tender.
These 200,000 euros are in addition to the approximately 300,000 euros annually allocated by the Council for ordinary maintenance. The total municipal investment in these centers has exceeded one million euros over the last two years, addressing their continuous improvement needs.
Furthermore, CEIP ‘Andrés de Cervantes’ will benefit from an initiative by the Junta de Andalucía to improve thermal comfort through an adiabatic cooling system, with an initial budget of nearly 400,000 euros. The total public investment in Cabra's educational centers has surpassed 2.5 million euros in the last two fiscal years, combining contributions from various administrations.
The City Council has specifically allocated over 270,000 euros to CEIP ‘Andrés de Cervantes’ in recent years for actions such as asbestos removal, roof waterproofing, wall reconstruction, and repairs for rain damage.
Priego concluded by congratulating the educational community on the start of the new school year, stating that "investing in schools is the best we can do for our children and to ensure better conditions in the educational system."
