Help! A heatwave
Lame students, sweating teachers and heated parents. When the mercury rises, class attention decreases. Some schools are introducing a tropical timetable. There are no clear-cut rules.
Image: Pixabay
If it has been warmer than 25 degrees for a few days and the forecasts are good, the calls will be made to the Information and Advice Center of the AOb going. At what temperature is it still safe to work and learn?
There is no ready-made answer to this question. One person almost swoons when it is 22 degrees, the other also knows how to keep a cool head at 30+. And: one school has a pleasant indoor climate with a well-functioning ventilation system. The other school has a flat roof and large windows that can barely be opened.
Sweating
In heat, the blood vessels dilate. The heart beats faster, the skin becomes redder and people start to sweat. Extreme heat can cause rashes, dehydration, muscle cramps, exhaustion and even heat stroke. In very sunny weather, ozone causes shortness of breath, eye irritation, throat and headaches.
Performance
Research from the US National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonprofit research firm, shows that students' cognitive performance in math declines when the mercury exceeds 26 degrees. That effect was not found for reading.
Still, in a Danish experiment, described in a 2007 paper from the International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy, researchers found that school performance increased by 10 to 20 percent when the air temperature in a classroom was lowered from 25 to 20 degrees. The Danish researchers expected that the amount of schoolwork completed within a certain time at 27 degrees is 14 to 28 percent lower than at 20 degrees.
Arbo
It is therefore better for productivity if it is not too hot. In Dutch legislation and regulations, no maximum temperature has been set at which schools must take measures. The Working Conditions Act and policy rules state that there must be a comfortable temperature 'in relation to the work to be performed' and that the climate must not lead to health damage. So vague.
Tropical grid
The site of the Ministry of Education reports that the school board itself can decide on a tropical timetable. The minimum number of teaching hours per school year, the compulsory teaching time, must not be jeopardized as a result. As a result, schools are less inclined to do so. It must be really extremely hot if they want to introduce a special schedule. Before that, the ministry advises schools to turn off heat-producing devices such as computers and ovens as much as possible on summer days. Turning off lights also helps. Use like blinds and provide good ventilation.
