Students in Irkutsk region complain to Mizulina about freezing classrooms

Students from several schools in Irkutsk Oblast and a college in the regional capital complained to Yekaterina Mizulina, head of the «Safe Internet League», about the cold in their classrooms. The Russian Public Chamber member published their complaints on her Telegram channel on January 25.

Mizulina was contacted by students from School No. 1 in Kirensk and School No. 16 in Irkutsk. In the first case, it is claimed that the water froze in the building due to the cold, and children were allegedly still forced to attend classes despite the heating problems.

«We have had frosts for several days now. This wasn»t a problem before, as we were allowed to skip school at -40°C (-40°F). But recently we have been forced to go even at -43°C (-45°F). <...> Teachers suggest taking buses, but no one explains how to get to the bus stop in such cold! They threaten us with a second shift if we don«t go in the frost,» states one of the published appeals.

Regarding the complaint from Irkutsk, it notes that due to a shortage of space, 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 class in our outerwear, and it»s very distracting from our studies. Our hands freeze, it«s uncomfortable to write, we constantly want to warm up. Some classmates have already started catching colds more often,» the message says.

Mizulina also posted a complaint from a student of the Irkutsk College of Design, Service, and Law. It states that heating problems at the institution have not been resolved for several years. Students regularly ask the college administration about this but receive no response. For almost the entire week, while Irkutsk was experiencing frosts, students were forced to attend classes in jackets.

In addition, she published more than a dozen complaints from other regions, adding her own comment: «Tomorrow, as usual, we»ll read in the media that these are «fakes».«

The press service of the Irkutsk administration told the «IrCity» editorial office that they would clarify the information about the heating at School No. 16. It was not possible to obtain a comment from the Kirensky District mayor«s office and the administration of the private College of Design, Service, and Law.