Ciudad del Este School: Students Study in Deplorable Conditions Due to Unfinished Construction

More than 300 students at the Santa Teresa de Jesús School in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, are enduring substandard learning conditions because of an incomplete municipal construction project. The necessary repairs, initiated in November 2025 with funding from the National School Feeding Fund (Fonaes), have not only failed to conclude but have been completely paralyzed for over two months. This situation forces students to attend classes in a cramped chapel, a makeshift arrangement that has persisted since the classrooms were vacated for the renovations.

The project, contracted for G. 1.2 billion (approximately $200,000 USD), was intended to refurbish nine classrooms and the school's restrooms. However, the work remains unfinished, leaving some classrooms in a state of disrepair. These partially renovated rooms lack electrical connections, preventing the use of fans or air conditioning, and feature hazardous, improvised wiring for lighting. Several rooms are without doors or windows, despite being used for instruction.

Compounding the issue, the school's restroom construction is also incomplete, forcing students to rely on a single portable chemical toilet. Other classrooms remain abandoned, suffering from leaks that render them unusable for teaching. The lack of adequate space extends to the school's administration; the director's office has been set up in a hallway, and the former office space is now used for preparing meals for the 'Hambre Cero' (Zero Hunger) program.

Pedro Acuña, the current mayor, stated that his administration inherited numerous problems from the previous interim mayor, María Portillo. He indicated that they are working to resolve the situation by engaging another company to continue the project. Acuña mentioned the possibility of fining the original contractor for non-compliance, noting that canceling the contract would cause further delays. The school's director, Norma Beatriz Mallorquín Montiel, confirmed that the school was prioritized for renovation due to its deteriorating roof, but the construction has yet to be completed.