Some New South Wales students are learning in classrooms where temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius on hot days, with delays of up to seven years to install air-conditioning under the state government's $500 million Cooler Classrooms program.
Parents and Citizens president Lisa Hamilton, whose children attend Marrickville West primary school in Sydney's inner west, said parents are seriously concerned about the well-being of children and teachers. She noted that the absence of air-conditioning makes it far more difficult for children to concentrate once temperatures reach 28 degrees plus.
At Cabramatta High School in Sydney's west, grandfather Sultan Adnan Hanhosh said his grandson Muhamed struggles to breathe due to high humidity in hot classrooms. Funding for air-conditioning at the school was approved in 2022 but has yet to be installed.
James Smallcombe from the University of Sydney's heat and health research centre said data shows that when classroom temperatures exceed 28 or 29 degrees Celsius, learning and behaviour are compromised. He cited impaired cognitive abilities and poor exam results linked to high temperatures.
The education department attributed delays at Marrickville West and Cabramatta High to original contractors going into administration, requiring retendering. To date, 52 of 737 schools approved for air-conditioning are still waiting, including 13 in Greater Sydney.
