The German Teachers’ Association is urging the federal government to provide additional funding to better safeguard schools against rising heat. Stefan Düll, the association’s president, stated in an interview with the “Rheinische Post” that most schools across Germany are still inadequately protected against heat, noting that older buildings, especially those that neither were newly constructed nor recently renovated, are particularly vulnerable.
Düll emphasized that there is still a lack of comprehensive and effective nationwide heat protection. Although increasingly, ventilation systems are being installed during renovations that facilitate cooling through nocturnal air exchange, he clarified that these systems are not true air conditioning units.
He stressed that additional investments are necessary. While some individual programs exist at the state level for school construction and renovation, Düll criticized the absence of a comprehensive program at the federal level. Consequently, the association continues to demand that the federal government allocate extra funds to effectively assist states and municipalities in overcoming the backlog of renovations.
The summer heat continues to strain Germany and much of Europe, even in the coming week, with some locations expecting to surpass 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this year.
