Airconditioning in schools to be a hot topic in State Budget
MAKING education cool again is set become a key election issue, with the state government expected to out-pledge Labor on airconditioning in schools.
NSW
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MAKING education cool again is set become a key election issue, with the state government expected to out-pledge Labor on airconditioning in schools.
It is understood “significant funding” has been set aside in the upcoming State Budget to eclipse $300 million pledge by Labor to install or replace airconditioners in classrooms.
While the State government officially declares “around two-thirds of schools” to have airconditioning, not all classrooms have an air-cooling unit.
In some cases, the airconditioning units are old, broken or no longer working effectively with some having been installed by the school themselves with P & C funds.
Some schools have also struggled powering airconditioning units with outdated electrical infrastructure.
Under the existing Department of Education’s Air Cooling Policy, “habitable spaces” in NSW public schools located in areas that have a mean maximum January temperature of 33 degrees Celsius or higher are “given priority for airconditioning”.
Public schools that do not meet the threshold as assessed using Bureau of Meteorology data “may make a local decision to install airconditioning” under the policy.
The threshold is not applied to demountables, which are each fitted with airconditioning.
Labor has criticised the policy as being unfair on schools that experience summer temperatures of 40 degrees, but miss out on airconditioning with the overall average failing to meet the threshold.
Last year, Bolwarra Public School was fighting with the government over not meeting the threshold for government-funded airconditioning despite the region sweltering through 28 days above 35 degrees last summer.
This was because most of the high temperatures days in the area had occurred in February.
As part of Labor’s $300 million commitment towards solar-powered airconditioning, it will also abolish the threshold in place of a broader time period that will also factor in humidity.
Opposition education spokesman Jihad Dib said BoM data will be used, but schools will also be able to submit their own readings.
However, the first step will involve a State-wide audit to determine the number of airconditioning units in each schools.
Mr Dib, whose former school of Punchbowl Boys High School was regarded as “airconditioned” despite only having units in the computer, library and hospitality rooms, said: “There are schools that don’t meet the department threshold, but experience temperatures of up to 42 to 43 degrees.
“A teacher only told me recently how she took her class outside into 43 degrees heat last summer because it was cooler than inside the classroom.
“Our policy will ensure the hottest schools in the State will be airconditioned, including all those schools in Penrith where temperatures hit records but not all classrooms are airconditioned.”
Labor has also pledged to install airconditioning in all new schools, with classrooms in cooler areas to benefit from reverse cycle units.
Mr Dib said this would avoid a situation such as that at Kingswood High School where a new school hall was being built with no airconditioning.
A spokesman for Education Minister Rob Stokes declined to comment on the details of the proposed additional funding.
The State Budget will be handed down on June 19.