Attention To Co2 Meters During Debate On School Housing.

Attention To Co2 Meters During Debate On School Housing.

Although it is necessary, some schools still do not have a working CO2 meter in the classroom. Some members of parliament raised this issue today during the debate about school housing. It also covered the extra money needed to make all school buildings future-proof. The debate took place in the House of Representatives with ministers Wiersma (education) and De Jonge (housing).

Among others, members of parliament Kwint (SP) and De Hoop (PvdA) expressed their concerns about the indoor climate in schools. In many schools, ventilation is not good, and many classrooms still do not have a CO2 meter (according to research by NOS), even though a lot of money has been made available. The minister promised that the requirement will be included in the new building code.

Research

The reason for the debate was an Interdepartmental Policy Study (IBO) that concluded many school buildings are outdated and much money is needed to fix them. An extra 730 million euros per year is needed to make all school buildings future-proof. In October, Ouders & Onderwijs supported a manifesto with, among others, school governing bodies and municipalities that called on the House of Representatives to structurally release this 730 million euros. Most parties referred to this during the debate. Wiersma said he must talk with school governing bodies and municipalities to see where the need is highest and what exactly needs to happen.

Shared responsibility

Several parties also raised the problem of shared responsibility. At this time, school governing bodies, municipalities, and the national government are jointly responsible for housing. Minister Wiersma said he is working on a bill about school housing that will oversee the division of responsibility between school governing bodies and municipalities. The proposal will be open for public consultation online in 2023.

Renovation over new construction

Before the debate, Ouders & Onderwijs asked parents what they think about school housing. They said they want to keep schools small and prefer renovation to new construction. They also think it is important that school buildings are accessible, so inclusive education will be possible in the future. In the debate, member of parliament Westerveld (GreenLeft) brought this to the ministers’ attention. They said requirements are set for accessibility in the building code and that a European standard for the Netherlands is currently being developed, which goes even further than the building code. This standard must be included in the new building code in 2023. Westerveld also mentioned the point about ‘green school yards.’ According to the research, this is also something parents value.

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