Irkutsk Region Authorities Deny Children's Complaints About Cold Schools
Local authorities in Irkutsk Region have addressed concerns over freezing conditions in schools raised by children.
The Ministry of Education of Irkutsk Region and the administration of Irkutsk have commented on complaints from children in the region, who wrote numerous appeals to the head of the «Safe Internet League,» Yekaterina Mizulina, about cold schools where they have to study.
Mizulina published the complaints in her Telegram channel on January 25. Students from School No. 16 in Irkutsk, School No. 1 in Kirensk, and a private college of design, service, and law in Irkutsk appealed to her. The authors of the appeals claimed that they had to sit in class in their outdoor clothing, and children from Kirensk were allegedly threatened with being transferred to the second shift if they did not attend lessons at -43°C (-45°F) outside.
The Minister of Education of Irkutsk Region, Maksim Parfenov, wrote in his Telegram channel on January 26 that municipalities immediately responded to the appeals published by Mizulina. As it turned out, all this is «more emotions from the kids than facts.»
«In Siberia, frosts are not exotic but our climatic feature; educational organizations know how to act if the temperature outside or in classrooms drops. But there is a human factor, and I want to remind teachers and school principals once again: it is necessary to comply with the requirements for school attendance set by each municipality, and not to demand mandatory attendance under various pretexts if the temperature drops to certain values,» wrote the head of the department.
He also asked school leaders to respond promptly to cases when the temperature in classrooms falls below the sanitary threshold.
Moreover, the press service of the Irkutsk mayor«s office reported on an inspection at School No. 16, which was among the complaints published by Mizulina. It was noted that due to a shortage of premises, some classes are forced to hold lessons in the assembly hall, which is very cold.
«The temperature there stays around 12°C (54°F), sometimes lower. We sit in lessons in our outdoor clothing, and this is very distracting from studying. Hands freeze, writing is uncomfortable, we constantly want to warm up. Some classmates have already started getting colds more often,» the message says.
As reported by the mayor«s office, classes are currently held exclusively in classrooms where the necessary temperature regime is maintained, complying with all sanitary requirements. Scheduled music lessons and extracurricular activities are temporarily held in the assembly hall, while preparation for school events takes place in classrooms and school recreation areas.
«Thus, the facts about conducting main academic classes in unheated premises and the necessity to be in outdoor clothing are not confirmed. The school administration continues to monitor the temperature regime in all premises to ensure a safe and comfortable educational environment,» the mayor«s office stated.
