Gran Tarajal Primary School: families demand a total overhaul after repeated scares

A gas leak recorded last Thursday at the Gran Tarajal Primary School forced the activation of the centre’s safety protocol and mobilised emergency services. The incident was resolved without personal or material damage, but it has revived families’ concerns about the state of the facilities and what they describe as a “patchwork” response rather than a definitive solution.

Initial impact

In an interview on the programme La Voz de Fuerteventura, the AMPA president, Rebeca Figueroa, described the immediate reaction among parents:

“Absolute panic because it is a serious situation that could affect the children very negatively, especially because we didn’t know what was happening. There was almost no information, just the smell of gas, so many fire trucks arrived, a bit too alert, and the parents were very worried.”

The leak was detected at around 8 a.m., coinciding with the arrival of the kitchen staff. “It was precisely when the kitchen staff arrived and opened the taps to start their shift,” she added.

Emergency response

After detecting the problem, the school called emergency services:

“A 112 call was made by the centre to get instructions on how to activate the protocol,” the AMPA president explained.

As a preventive measure, students were moved away from the source of the leak: “They immediately placed the children in an area away from the focus of the leak, which is the external playground.”

Firefighters who intervened noted that the installation is quite old and would benefit from renovation.

Underlying issues

From the AMPA’s perspective, the incident reflects the aging of the building and a lack of continuous maintenance:

“The installation is old but it hasn’t received the maintenance it should have,” Figueroa said, adding that the school’s overall context is marked by recurring problems.
“We have said many times that we go from scare to scare and we don’t want a scare to become a tragedy.”

“We don’t care who is responsible”

Figueroa also expressed frustration over the lack of administrative coordination:

“To us, as you can understand, we don’t care who the competence is—whether maintenance is municipal or the cafeteria is run by the State, it doesn’t matter to us.”
She highlighted a total and absolute lack of communication between institutions, which she says directly impacts the safety of the children.

Families demand a structural solution

Instead of “patching” the problems, families are calling for a complete reform that brings the school up to current safety standards:

“We need a full renovation, adapting the building to today’s safety regulations so incidents like this never happen again, and an action protocol that doesn’t leave us like headless chickens.”

Ongoing works

• Bathrooms and exterior areas are currently being renovated.
• A budget allocated last summer covered repairs to half of the bathrooms; work is now focused on improving the ground‑floor bathrooms.
• The kitchen and cafeteria have not been addressed, and no information has been provided about any planned reforms, despite the need.

Financial strain on the community

Figueroa reminded listeners of the economic effort made by the school community to cover minor daily needs:

“We are already exhausted,” she said, citing a charity bingo held at the end of last year.
“We raised funds that were used to change two locks, install a missing glass pane on a door, and buy curtain rods. For us, it is exhausting and a totally unsustainable situation.”

The families of Gran Tarajal Primary School are urging authorities to move beyond temporary fixes and deliver a comprehensive, lasting renovation that ensures the safety and well‑being of their children.