The Audit Office identifies serious risks in its report on the installation of air conditioners in schools.
Speaking on the Alpha News program, Marios Petridis, Senior Audit Officer at the Audit Office, explained that, based on on-site inspections conducted by the Service at five schools in Nicosia, four of them had serious safety issues.
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According to Mr. Petridis, these are schools for which the Ministry of Education reported that the air conditioners are operational, which implies that all electrical procedures and inspections have been carried out.
“The list submitted to us by the Ministry of Education in September 2026 paints a false picture of readiness” regarding the number of schools with functioning air conditioners, with Mr. Petridis calling on the Ministry to update its data and make it public.
One of the photographs included in the report shows makeshift electrical installations that pose a risk of electric shock.
SEE ALSO: The report reflects the “initial planning”; the current situation is different: The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport responds to the Court of Auditors regarding air conditioners
“This is illegal and dangerous”
In another case, there is an electrical panel where the safety seal has been tampered with.
“The wires are exposed behind the glass. Behind it, you can see some copper wires—it’s extremely dangerous. There is a risk to anyone who touches it—whether on purpose or by accident.”
“The proper sequence of work has been violated,” emphasizes Mr. Petridis, noting that the Ministry should conduct an administrative investigation to “determine who gave permission for air conditioners to be installed and operated illegally.”
“There are risks of fire and electric shock for both students and staff.”
Mr. Petridis also mentioned an incident where the school’s main circuit breaker tripped seven times in a single day, with school staff resetting it each time.
“We don’t take chances with things like that,” he emphasized regarding student safety.
From the electricians’ perspective, Mr. Chrysanthos Marouchos, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CYBSE Association of Electrical Engineers, speaking on the program, emphasized that “what we’re seeing does not reflect well on us.”
“As it appears, we have bypassed this procedure and gone straight to the installation.”
An air conditioner is not a simple electrical appliance that you just plug into an outlet, he stressed, adding that it is wrong for such installations to operate with safety hazards.
“Anything that isn’t certified must be removed immediately. In other words, before the administrative investigations you mentioned earlier are announced, I believe that all illegal installations should first be disconnected.”
As Mr. Marouchos explained, the proper procedure calls for an electromechanical study to be conducted first, followed by the execution of the work based on that study, an inspection to verify that the work was done correctly, and then the EAC must come to inspect and conduct a review in order to issue the certificate of compliance.
READ ALSO: Scathing Report: Serious Risks in Schools Due to the Way Air Conditioners Are Installed; Ministry of Education Under Fire
“Obviously, what happened was that we needed air conditioning right away, so they were told, ‘Come and hook it up.’ That’s what I assume. And the installers went and hooked them up illegally, without any prior inspection by the engineer or the EAC regarding the connection.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the incident where the main circuit breaker tripped seven times, Mr. Marouchos remarked, “This is unacceptable. Because when a circuit breaker trips, it doesn’t happen by chance. It’s understandable the first time—I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt, since it might have tripped for some other reason. But the second time it tripped was the last.”
On behalf of the Ministry, Deputy Director of Secondary Education George Koutsidis noted that “under no circumstances, as you said earlier, is the speed at which air conditioners are installed linked to student safety in any school. We must conduct another inspection, taking into account what the schools have reported to us regarding which units are operational.”
As for the painting—a photograph included in the report—he commented that it was already there before the installation.
“Of course, the technical services will need to conduct another inspection. As for the specific technical issues highlighted by the report, rest assured that we will send experts in electrical installations to conduct the inspections—and not just there. And especially the schools that we say are currently in operation.”
