An innovation project to create green schools and near-zero energy schools. A project whose vision is to improve the quality of life of students and teachers within the school community, which aims to improve the quality of school buildings, which is oriented towards a holistic approach to the issues of sustainable development at school.
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth (MESY) presented today, Wednesday, 5 April 2023, the second phase of the PEDIA project, which has been funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme. PEDIA is an innovation project, which seeks to promote energy efficiency and develop innovative approaches in schools, of particular importance for Cyprus, as it is the first time that on such a large scale an attempt is being made to transform school buildings into green and sustainable ones.
This project is the first of its kind to be funded by the European Union with the main objective of creating a methodological tool, the application of which can capture the actual energy performance of schools. This tool has been funded by the EU to the tune of 500 thousand euros, while 8 million investments have been secured for the school upgrades from public and private investors to convert the first schools to green.
The importance of the project can be seen from the very interest shown by the schools themselves in benefiting from energy upgrades. Specifically, 162 schools of all educational levels applied to be evaluated by the program, of which 144 were eligible. In the first phase of school evaluation, 55 schools were selected to receive an on-site and in-depth evaluation as the second phase of the programme, through which the first 25 schools were selected to receive a total energy upgrade.
The transformation of the first five schools into zero-energy schools is a fact. The High School of Agios Dometios, the primary schools of Agios Trimithias and B' Idalios, as well as the 6th Kindergarten of Aglantzia and the Kindergarten of Agios Antonios, are the first five schools which in 8 months from now, will be the first model schools in Cyprus that will undergo radical changes and reforms, ensuring all the criteria that meet the requirements of a green school building. Approximately two million euros have already been allocated by the Ministry of Public Works for the energy upgrade needs of these schools, while another two million euros will be allocated by the Ministry of Public Works in the near future for the next five schools, which will be upgraded on the basis of the next tenders to be announced shortly. In total, a total amount of 8-10 million will be allocated by the MoE for the first 25 schools. It is noted that the goal of the MoEF is to make all 55 schools that have passed the evaluation into near-zero energy schools. To this end, the MoE is in the process and working closely with the Directorate General of Development to raise an additional 20 million from European funds so that by 2028 all the planned schools will be green. This is a project of about 30 million, emblematic for Cyprus, but also a benchmark for Europe. The project is inextricably linked to the goals we have set as the Ministry of Education for Sustainable Education (SEE) and the green transition, and is a continuation of the consistency and dedication that the Ministry has shown over the last 20 years in making SEE a priority for our country.
This project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Education Unit for Environment and Sustainable Development), and the Citizens' Energy Office, which is also the project coordinator, with the support and cooperation of the Technical Services of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
Considering that the formation of an environmental culture requires the school building to be an organized and functional system, where its design, construction and operation ensure economic, social and environmental sustainability, including climate resilience, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources seeks through this project to make, for the first time, the school building an organic part of the learning process. The creation of green roofs, the installation of passive cooling and heating systems, as well as the use of automation and smart technologies, in addition to improving the quality of life in the school building, will contribute qualitatively to the upgrading of the learning process. In this way, the school building itself becomes a source of learning and a dynamic field for providing stimuli, experiences and shaping attitudes to environmental issues and sustainable development.
(AF/EXP)
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