Schools safety check as nine children hurt

URGENT safety inspections of older schools will be carried out after nine children were hurt when a classroom floor collapsed.

The primary school pupils were sitting at their desks at the Colegio Publico Hispanidad in Santa Pola when the floor gave way. Four children who recieved scratches and bruises in the incident, and their teacher who was suffering from shock, were taken to hospital. The other five youngsters hurt were treated at a local health centre.

It follows a similar incident in a Valencia city school last November where a classroom floor also gave way, although no one was hurt.

Now all schools over 40 years old in Alicante Province will be inspected.

Regional Minister of Education, Maria Jose Catala has ordered the urgent approval of a plan to overhaul the education infrastructure to prevent further accidents. However, she insisted: “We had not received any request for improvement or rehabilitation of the school.” The Valencian Government insists the Department of Education spends €12 million on renovation and maintenance of schools every year.

The news of action has been welcomed by parents at the Principe de España school in Rojales who have long been fighting for improvements to their school.