Auditor General Andreas Papakonstantinou expresses “serious concern” in his report on the installation of air conditioners in public schools, which was published on Tuesday, citing serious risks to public health and the circumvention of the prescribed implementation stages, to the knowledge of the Ministry of Education.
In four of the five schools visited by the Audit Office on September 24, 2026, which were among the schools where the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs (YPAN) states that installation work has been completed, essential work remains pending, it reports.
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“We found air conditioners that had been installed nearly two years ago but were not connected, others that were operating on a rotating basis to avoid overloading, makeshift electrical connections, and an electrical panel with the safety device removed,” says Mr. Papakonstantinou. “We were also told of a case where a circuit breaker tripped and was reset seven times on the same day,” he adds.
This situation, he notes, “undoubtedly arises from the bypassing of the prescribed implementation stages, with the Ministry of Public Works’ full knowledge,” adding that air conditioners were put into operation without prior inspection and certification of the electrical installation, as well as without the final inspection and approval.
“This practice poses a risk of serious accidents, endangering the health and safety of children and teachers. In our view, the operation of such air conditioners must be halted immediately until the prescribed procedure is completed,” he states.
Regarding the implementation of the project (2023–2026), Mr. Papakonstantinou further notes that, “the Ministry of Education was absent for most of the project’s duration, since it chose to entrust the School Boards with managing on their own a project for which they lacked the necessary expertise,” and that the Ministry was designated as the central coordinator only in the third phase. “Fragmentation, inadequate market research, and restrictive participation criteria limited competition, with consequences for the implementation timeline and possibly for prices,” it states.
He also highlights the need for transparency. According to Mr. Papakonstantinou, the Ministry of National Education, through the information it provided to the Audit Office during the audit period, “did not provide a clear picture of the scope of the Project (number of schools) and the implementation timeline,” and that a detailed list of all schools was provided to the Service only after the audit was completed “and, as it turned out, contained serious errors.” Also relevant is the fact that this specific list has not been made public by the Ministry of Education, so that students, parents, and teachers can know what the actual situation is for each school, he notes, noting that making this information public would also make it easy to identify any inaccuracies in the information regarding the project’s progress.
Noting that a difficult project “will inevitably encounter problems,” he states that what is required is proper planning, effective coordination, and transparency, emphasizing that the Ministry of Public Works “must immediately take corrective measures.”
As noted in the report, the project initially involved the installation of air conditioners in 209 schools, and implementation was to take place in three phases.
The project, it is noted, was awarded by the Ministry of Education to the metropolitan school boards, which undertook its implementation, but it does not appear that it will be completed within the original timeline—by 2026—as it has encountered various difficulties. It should be noted that it was recently announced that the project will be completed by the end of 2028 with the installation of air conditioning units in all schools.
As stated in the report, by July 2026 (the point at which the EY audit was completed), work had been completed in 81 of the 219 cases—although the project involves 209 schools, the total comes to 219 cases since the work at 10 of these schools will be carried out in two phases—public schools included in the project in question (37%), in 79, electrical work was pending; in 52, the installation of air conditioners was underway; six were awaiting inspection by the EAC; and in one school, work had not yet begun.
It is noted that a total of 5,165 air conditioners have been installed or are scheduled for installation as part of the Project, of which 1,278 are for Phase A, 2,123 to Phase B, and 1,764 to Phase C; furthermore, based on the data provided to the Authority by the School Boards, as of July 2026, the current cost of the Project amounted to €9,819,430 plus VAT.
“Although the data we have received indicate that the estimated cost has been exceeded in several tenders—in fact, by significant percentages in many cases— this excess cannot be quantified due to the varying format, content, and reference dates of the data provided to us by the School Boards,” the report states.
It is also noted that the concentration of the entire air-conditioning market among two manufacturers highlights the need to examine the factors that led to this specific outcome, without this necessarily constituting, in and of itself, a restriction of competition.
It should also be noted that the progress of the Project varies significantly among the School Boards, with the highest completion rate recorded in the Larnaca School District, where work has been completed in 19 of the 22 schools (86%). Next is the Paralimni-Deryneia School Board with 12 out of 28 schools (43%), the Limassol School Board with 23 out of 57 schools (40%), the Paphos School District with 9 out of 23 schools (39%), and finally the Nicosia School District with 18 out of 89 schools (20%).
It is noted that the percentages alone do not reflect the overall effort of each school district, since a different number of schools was selected for each of the three phases. The report highlights serious risks arising from circumvention of the legal process.
“Regardless of the importance of the project and any pressure that may be exerted on the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs for its rapid implementation, under no circumstances is it justified—especially with the Ministry’s knowledge— to operate air conditioners in schools without first obtaining the Certificate of Electrical Installation Compliance and without the required final inspection process having been completed,” the report states.
The report states that, during an on-site inspection by the Agency on September 24, 2026, at specific schools—which are included on the Ministry’s list as having completed the work—they identified “serious violations” of the prescribed—and legally mandated—procedure.
Of the five schools, four still had essential work pending. More specifically, it is reported that air conditioners were found to have been installed for nearly two years (the warranty is about to expire) but were not connected; air conditioners were operating on a rotating basis to avoid overloading; makeshift electrical connections exposed in plain sight, an electrical panel with the door’s safety latch removed, making it possible to access the panel without first shutting off the power supply. A case was also reported to the EY staff in which a circuit breaker in an electrical panel tripped and was reset seven times within the same day.
Noting that the above findings pertain to the schools visited by the EU and cannot be considered representative of the entire population, it is stated, however, that “their nature and severity make it necessary, in our view, to take immediate action.”
Regarding the problems with the project’s implementation, it is noted, among other things, that in the tenders for air conditioning installers and electricians, there was limited competition, exceedances of estimated values, and inconsistent application of the award procedures by the Project Implementation Units. “The data indicate that the particularly high technical and professional requirements set by the Ministry of Public Works as conditions for participation,” “mainly in the documents of the Dynamic Procurement System for Electricians,” contributed to the limited number of participants and bids, the EY notes.
“The preparatory work and market research that preceded the tender did not ensure sufficient participation by economic operators. The criteria set were particularly high without being proportionate to the project’s requirements,” it adds. It should be noted that, during the audit, the Ministry of Public Works and the General Accounting Office of the Republic took corrective actions, including the creation of a new Technical Specification for electrical installations up to 150 kVA, as well as the revision of certain eligibility criteria to allow for greater participation.
It should also be noted that, in a letter sent by the Ministry of Public Works to the Project Manager in October 2025, regarding the number of air conditioners that needed to be installed, the detailed budget for the Project by implementation phase and/or by budget line item and/or by type of expenditure was not provided.
In its recommendations, the Agency notes that the Ministry of Public Works should prepare a detailed budget for the Project by type of expenditure and/or by phase and/or by province and/or by project component, even for its remaining stages/phases, as well as in the event of the implementation of a subsequent similar project for the remaining public schools that require the installation of air conditioners.
It also recommends that the Ministry of Education, Research, and Religious Affairs immediately conduct an inspection of all schools where air conditioning units have been installed or are currently being installed, in order to identify any safety violations and take immediate measures to ensure the safety of students, teachers, staff, and school facilities. Furthermore, it should update and publish a detailed progress report on the project so that it accurately reflects the overall situation.
It also recommends that the Ministry of Education take measures to expedite the project’s implementation procedures based on its experience to date and the relevant recommendations of this Report, so that the project can be completed within the established timelines to the greatest extent possible.
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Source: KYPE
