Compels School Renovations to Incorporate Mandatory Climate Technology (FDP Saar's Proposal)

In a bid to improve learning conditions and safeguard the health of students and teachers, the Saarland branch of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) has called for the implementation of climate control systems in schools across the region.

According to the party, climate control is no longer a luxury but essential infrastructure, comparable to modern office buildings. This stance is backed by studies showing that cognitive performance decreases even at 26 degrees, making it crucial to maintain optimal temperatures in classrooms.

The Saar FDP has highlighted the increasing summer heat as a significant concern, advocating for a rethinking of Saarland's school building policy and a two-step approach. The first step involves the immediate purchase of mobile climate devices for schools facing extreme heat, while the second step focuses on long-term legal anchoring of climate control in every school renovation.

Gudrun Bierbrauer-Haupenthal, deputy chairwoman of the Saar FDP, emphasises the importance of this issue, stating that learning at high temperatures should not be a permanent state. She believes that investments in climate control are necessary when classroom temperatures exceed learning conditions.

The party also criticises make-up classes, emergency programmes, or simple ventilation as temporary solutions to the heat issue in schools, arguing that they do not address the root cause of the problem. Instead, they advocate for a nationwide concept for the climatic adaptation of all school locations, suggesting a medium-term approach.

The German Environment Agency has also warned about the effects of high room temperatures in education, with many classrooms in Saarland reaching temperatures above 30 degrees in the summer. This can affect concentration, learning ability, and the health of students and teachers.

Heat protection in schools is seen as a means to protect health, enhance concentration, and ensure learning success. The Saar FDP urges the state government to establish a short-term funding program for mobile climate devices and develop a nationwide concept for the climatic adaptation of all school locations in the medium term.

The party's calls for action come as they continue to emphasise that learning at high temperatures should not be a permanent state, and investments in climate control are necessary to ensure a conducive learning environment.