The government will be installing air conditioning units in those schools where the electrical infrastructure can withstand the power demands, the Education Ministry has said.
The ministry is in favour of installing air conditioning in schools, a spokeswoman said, amid an outcry over the lack of cooling and heating systems in schools.
“In fact, a number of new schools as well as refurbished ones do have air conditioning systems. The vast majority obviously don’t.”
The reason, she said, was not the capital investment required but other installation issues.
“First and foremost, the electrical infrastructure in most schools cannot handle such consumption.”
She said the ministry was now carrying out a feasibility study to understand whether the infrastructure in the 120 State schools could support cooling systems.
“This feasibility study will evaluate the financial, sustainable and environmental issues to be considered. The ministry aims to install air conditioning units in schools where the electrical infrastructure can handle the required power.”
The ministry is in favour of air conditioning in schools
She was replying to questions sent by Times of Malta following last week’s articles on how thousands of parents, relatives and teachers were signing a petition calling on the government to install cooling systems in classrooms, as children returned home from summer school.
The petition, which was set up by a mother several months ago, has now reached nearly 6,000 signatures.
People have compared the situation in classrooms to a sauna.
The Malta Union of Teachers said the union had repeatedly made appeals to the Education Ministry for the installation of air conditioning since the situation in class was unbearable.
In reaction, the ministry said the situation of air conditioning in schools was one which merited discussion and a way forward.
“While most schools are closed for the hottest months of the year, July and August, the shoulder months of May, June and September can still be very hot,” the spokeswoman said.