Two parallel processes are currently underway regarding the 4th Primary School of Artemida: one concerns the building in which it is currently housed – in shipping containers – and the other concerns the new school, which has never been built. Both were discussed at the Spata-Artemida Municipal Council meeting on 8 September.
The item on the agenda was a routine one: to decide on the need to let a property to house the school, so that the tendering process could begin. The discussion, however, covered much more ground.
‘Aegeas’ had been paying the rent for 14 years
As Deputy Mayor Vangelis Tsepas explained, the building had been facing problems for years which meant it could not be let directly by the municipality. The ‘Aegeas’ AMKE, the Urban Non-Profit Organisation for Cultural and Charitable Works, stepped in to fill this gap and undertook to cover the rent.
“Initially, this particular building [...] had been experiencing certain problems since 2012, which could not be resolved to allow the building to be let by the Municipality of Spata-Artemida, and ‘Aegeas’ then stepped in to cover the rent that was due,” said Mr Tsepas.
The temporary solution lasted seven times longer than planned: ‘It had originally been agreed for two years, but the lease has now lasted 14 years as of today.’
In late May 2025, the Municipality received a letter from ‘Aegeas’ stating that the rent subsidy would be discontinued. An extension was requested to allow time for the necessary procedures to be carried out.
They changed the land use — it wasn’t even a school
In order for the council to be able to let the property itself, it was necessary to resolve town-planning issues that had remained unresolved for a decade.
‘The procedures involved regularising some unauthorised structures that were on the site – the containers and so on. It was extremely difficult, as the land use was not zoned for an educational establishment. We changed the land use designation, and the necessary legalisation procedures were carried out,” said the deputy mayor.
The next step is the suitability committee and the tender process. “The process must be completed by the end of October so that the rent can be paid to the council.”
In other words: the decision does not concern moving the school to another location. It concerns ensuring that the building in which the children are already attending lessons can be legally let out.
‘We made a decision in 2015 — it’s been almost ten years’
This is where the crucial question came up in the discussion. The AN.A.S.S.A. councillor Nikos Krokos, reminded the meeting that a decision had been taken back in 2015 to purchase a plot of land measuring approximately four stremmata for the construction of the new school.
‘We made the decision in 2015; I believe it was finalised by 2017. So it’s been nearly ten years, and now we’re back to this derelict school, the 4th,” he commented, adding: “We cannot keep on renting buildings and paying exorbitant amounts in rent.”
The Mayor: approval of the technical programme on 10 July; design studies on 15 October
In response, Mayor Dimitris Markou announced that on 10 July 2026 the Municipality received the decision approving the technical programme for the 4th Primary School — “following actions taken and under unbearable pressure”, as he put it.
The Council has commissioned the final design studies and has set specific dates: “The presentation will be ready by the end of September and will be delivered on 15 October.”
The crucial shortcoming: there is no funding
What the Mayor made clear is that funding for the construction has not been secured. When Myrto Tsigkouli, leader of the ‘In Action’ municipal movement, asked for an estimate of when the project would begin, he avoided giving a date:
‘As regards those procedures that we, as the local council, are in charge of, yes, I have made a commitment and set deadlines [...]. Beyond that, how it will be done, what will happen – tenders and so on – are separate procedures.’
“The encouraging thing, however, is that we have been told to finalise the plans,” he added, emphasising that an official announcement will only be made once funding has been secured.
The 5th Nursery School ‘advertised’ the vacancy
The Mayor linked the matter to the handover of the 5th Spata Nursery School. As he reported, at a meeting regarding its funding, he was told: ‘Mayor, we cannot discuss funding for a third school whilst we have active construction projects underway for two schools. As soon as one of them is completed, we’ll move on to the next one.’
“We no longer have any active construction contracts for two schools. The 5th Nursery School has been handed over, and this paves the way for the process and the possibility of securing funding for the 4th Primary School.”
Nikos Krokos appeared sceptical, pointing out that the cost of a nursery school cannot be compared with that of a twelve-class primary school.
What does this mean for children?
The building had been deemed unfit for school use by a structural engineer as far back as 2013. In April 2023, parents at the school publicly complained that the containers leak when it rains and do not retain heat, that the classrooms are extremely small, that the playground is too small for children to play in during breaks, and that there is no hall for events.
Three years on, the children are still living in the same containers.
What are we keeping?
First stage: a suitability committee and a tender process for the existing building, with the aim of transferring the lease to the local authority by the end of October.
Second phase: final design documents for the new school, to be presented at the end of September, with completion scheduled for 15 October 2026.
And one step that remains to be taken: funding.
