The Andalusian regional government’s minister for Economy, Finance and European Funds and number two for Málaga alongside Juanma Moreno, Carolina España, this Thursday once again publicly committed to building a new secondary school for Manilva during an election event organised by the Partido Popular at the Walili Beach beach bar, just a few days before the Andalusian elections to be held this Sunday.
The PP leader told those present that “we have to build a new secondary school for Manilva and we are going to do it”, also claiming that her party’s Andalusian government “does what it promises”. The statements were met with applause from those attending but with scepticism from a large part of the education community, since it was Carolina España herself who officially announced in November 2023 that the new school already had a budget allocation in the 2024 Andalusian accounts, and as of today, two years later, there is as yet no project and no tender, and she has also declined to sign a written commitment presented to her (not without difficulty) by a representative on behalf of the municipality’s AMPAS (parent-teacher associations).
More than two years after that announcement, the administrative reality still shows no visible progress: there is no public tender under way, no final technical project is known and no files have emerged that would allow the start of works to be placed in the short term. We recall that over the last year the Town Hall is said to have made up to 13 requests for a meeting with the provincial Education delegate in Málaga, Miguel Angel Briones, without an effective response.
“The land was handed over a couple of months ago”
During her speech, Carolina España tried to justify the delay by stating that the Town Hall had handed over the land “a couple of months ago”, adding that the regional Education department “will take the necessary steps so that this secondary school becomes a reality as soon as possible”.
A clearly electoral event
The event, presented by Jose Manuel Fernandez, and also attended by Margarita del Cid (mayor of Torremolinos) and José Ramón Carmona (Secretary General of the PP in Málaga and Third Secretary of the Bureau of the Andalusian Parliament), accompanied by Manuel Cardeña (President of the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol), was purely electioneering in nature.
Carmona in particular used his speech to attack the residents’ protests and the banners put up across the municipality over the secondary school, going so far as to say that “protesting is legitimate, but manipulating is not”, in reference to the mobilisations driven by families and education groups, which have been backed by the Town Hall itself.
New promises and old doubts
Another factor fuelling mistrust and caution is the precedent of other projects announced but still yet to begin. The regional government also stated months ago that repair works on the current secondary school would start in May, works which, according to the education community, have still not begun.
During the event, the PP leaders insisted on linking the future of the secondary school to the need for Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla to keep a sufficient majority in Andalusia, going so far as to say that “only” the PP can deliver the educational infrastructure.
Despite the critical tone and the fatigue built up after years of promises, a good number of families still hope that social pressure over the need, together with the approaching elections, will this time finally help unblock a project considered a priority for the municipality’s educational future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6VbECNdutY
Part of the event in which reference was made to the new secondary school.
