WITH the mercury sitting above 35C for half the school days this term, students at Ellen Stirling Primary School are suffering the consequences of a bureaucratic process that ruled their school ineligible for airconditioning.
A State Government policy outlines areas across the State that are eligible to apply for grants specifically for airconditioning, and while students on the other side of Great Northern Highway can learn in cooled comfort, Ellenbrook’s public schools miss out by a matter of kilometres.
After weeks of scorching conditions, parents are calling on the Education Department to update policies and publicly release information on the predetermined “air cooling zones.”
The department’s executive director of infrastructure James Thom said the policy for air cooling in schools was based on climatic data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology’s weather recording stations, and a line plotted on a map indicating the needy zones.
He said locations that have more than 25 days a year considered “uncomfortable” are deemed to be within the air cooling zone.
With 29 school days already gone by this term, schools within the Pearce area have had 14 days over 35C, eight days between 30 and 34.9C and just seven days under 30C.
When asked if these conditions were deemed acceptable by the DET, Mr Thom said it was similar to most locations across the metropolitan area that has experienced a high number of hot days this year.
P&C committee president Larisa Flatters said the DET needed to release maps and information on determining schools eligible for air conditioning, and also reconsider policies behind their decision.
Swan Hills MLA Frank Alban is supporting the P&C’s push for a better system, telling State Parliament this month that according to the policies of the education department, teachers are to “open the windows and turn on the fans” when the temperature hit 37C.
“In light of the State’s prevailing prosperity and past boom times, it seems highly inappropriate to expect our primary school children to endure classrooms without air conditioning particularly in the long, hot summers, based on an indefensible policy dating back to 1974,” he said.
“The most disturbing aspect is that this policy affects the most underprivileged schools in my community. It widens the gap between kids’ education in private versus public schools.