Confusion among educational centers in Catalonia over the issue of ventilators. After it was reported that families had begun to buy these devices on their own to alleviate the high temperatures suffered by students and teachers in these first days of the school year, the Department of Education announced to the media that it would send these devices yesterday – he did not detail how many – in schools where higher temperatures had been detected. He has not yet specified which centers they are. Not even if it has been considered that this can lead to grievances between centers. He did explain that 500 ventilators have been distributed since June.
At school level, there are managements that have not received any kind of information on this subject. “They have told us absolutely nothing. They have announced it in front of public opinion”, says one of the directors. “They have announced a measure before knowing how they will manage it,” opined another.
There are other directions, however, that have received information. On Thursday they received instructions from their Territorial Services authorizing them to install ventilators “provisionally” in the classrooms. The permission received does not refer to the financing of ventilators.
In the case of a school in the Maresme that has received this notification, the management has sent a note to the families informing them that they do not have the budget to acquire the material and asking for their collaboration. “We have permission to use, provisionally, some ventilators. We don’t have a budget item and that’s why we’re asking for collaboration to bring ventilators for the 12 primary and one secondary classrooms”, says the email sent to the families.
Pending response
There are other departments that have also asked for explanations from their respective Territorial Services and they have replied that they are “studying the issue” and assessing “how to proceed” with ventilator requests. “When we have an answer, we will send it to you in all directions,” concludes the response text.
Regulations in hand, taking into account occupational and health risks, fans are not allowed in classrooms. But the unsustainable situation experienced at the end of last school year and at the beginning of this one has exhausted the patience of the families, who, mainly looking out for their children, have decided to act. In the last few hours, more than a hundred family associations have signed a document demanding solutions.
On the other hand, the CGT union demanded the intervention of the Labor Inspectorate yesterday. “While the counselor and his team enjoy the air conditioning, the teachers are in infamous classrooms with more than 30 students sweating like chickens”, they criticized. “The rising temperature trend, added to the lack of investment and the chronic shantytowns, make life in educational centers unbearable”, they added. CGT, like other unions, already denounced the situation last year and in previous years.
The start of the school year in Catalonia, brought forward to September 5, has coincided with a very hot summer that has not yet abated, with temperatures above 30 degrees. And the forecast is that the heat will continue next week.