Your school years are an important and formative part of your life. Not only do you gain more social skills, you face rigorous examinations that provide you with the qualifications needed to shape your working future.
The fundamentals of this system remain to this day and the majority of secondary pupils across the country prepare for, and sit, these important exams during the summer months of the year. While we don’t necessarily have summers as hot as other parts of the world, if you’ve ever worked or been in a room with a number of others at this time of the year, you’ll appreciate how unbearable it can be. This is the struggle that both pupils and teachers alike face every year in many schools.
The Negative Effects
There are a number of studies into how the weather can affect your mood, and how heat in particular can cause changes in our attitude and personality. A standard class size of thirty 15/16 year old pupils can cause the conditions in a class room to quickly become humid, sticky and ultimately unproductive. Pupils can lack enthusiasm, or become quite irritable with one another when they need to be as focused as possible on their studies.
This can be compounded when you combine these conditions with yet more pupils and the high-pressure situation of an exam. Considering this is meant to be a child’s opportunity to demonstrate their best abilities, it seems quite unfair that they should have to do it under such circumstances.
The Simple Solution
The best way to combat these issues is a simple one – install effective air conditioning. By having a controlled climate within a classroom or exam hall, the nation’s pupils will be far more focused and their overall performance can dramatically improve.
If reports into climate change are to be believed the summer months are only going to continue to get warmer and ultimately make the situation worse for many. Spare a thought for the countries with extremely hot summer climates like Australia, where parents are having to campaign for government funding for new air conditioning units, in order to provide their children with decent educational environments.
So, from primary to secondary and higher education, the installation of proper air conditioning in our schools is the easy way to give our pupils the best opportunities.