A letter from a parent concerning the new school in Kardamena

Jo Oxton

Kardamena

Kos

11/1/13

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write this letter in relation to the new Pethiko Stathmos which has just opened in Kardamena.

As you may well be aware we had a fully functioning one in place. This provided a warm and comfortable environment for our children. Excellent home cooked food offered on site and we the parents paid 30€ a month to the council.

It was decided by the ‘Powers that be’ to provide a new one. The reason I am unsure of as anything that may have needed attention at the original Pethiko could have been rectified with ease. So we now find ourselves in Kardamena with a new nursery. The reason for my letter will now become clear.

We understand that the cost of the nursery will now go up in cost monthly to offset the charges the council now have from the building. I hear you say – why are you moaning? You have a new Pethiko…… in this day and age all aspects of increased cost should be looked at closely. Many parents at the Pethiko are not in a position to pay an increased monthly charge – so their children will not be able to attend. Many parents believe that we should not have moved to a new Pethiko when there was no reason to and therefore no reason for us to pay extra – their children may now not attend. Who then is left to attend – parents who have no other option but to pay this increased cost as they may have no other alternative available for their childcare. Surely this is not an effective system?

I also have huge concerns about  the amount of money that has been spent in setting up this new Pethiko. As you may not be aware, Kardamena does not have a safe playground with fully functioning equipment. Would the money have not been better invested in this maybe? This would also have benefited visiting tourists who stare at playgrounds in the summer with dismay and disbelief and probably uttering the words ‘how are our children meant to play in here’!

This letter is not one of ungratefulness but one of incredulation as to why this money has been spent in the first place in replacing something that in effect did not need replacing and secondly why the money was not used more effectively in our village, which is crying out for help!

I trust future Mayors and councils will not make the same mistakes and invest our money wisely….we can only live in hope.

Jo Oxton

Photo from KosnewsGr