Heat, hypocrisy and children

-media release-

Maree O'Halloran, President, NSWTF accused Deputy Director-General (Schools) of the DET of hypocrisy in his media statements about schools, children and the heat.

"If Mr Fletcher thinks that most schools have spaces with air-conditioning through which teachers could rotate their students then it shows an ignorance that is unacceptable from a person in his position."

"Federation has requested that all new schools include air-conditioning but this does not happen. No schools in Sydney, including the western suburbs are built with air-conditioning and the Education Minister has continually announced the air-conditioning programs for demountables only."

"Recently, a school in the Penrith area on a day of record heat last month had to threaten industrial action in order to get air-conditioning in their demountable buildings."

"A month later those units are still not working properly."

"Where schools have air-conditioning it has usually been paid for by fundraising by the parents and students."

"Apart from the fact that this can create inequity it also means that these funds are not being use for educational resources."

"Some schools are unable to install air-conditioning as their connection to the electricity grid is not able to sustain the extra demands put on it."

"In some cases, air-conditioning has been installed in a school but it fails because of the inadequate connection to the grid. This causes problems not only for the school but for the areas around the school."

"In his press statements Mr Fletcher also said that Principals have the discretion to close their schools and send their students home . This is contradicted by the Memorandum he sent to schools yesterday which states that ' .....if a Principal believes it necessary to close a school they should contact their School Education Director'."

"The NSW Teachers Federation calls on the government and the DET to air-condition all schools and colleges as a matter of urgency. "

"It is unacceptably for DET "fat cat bureaucrats" to be working in air-conditioned comfort while students and teachers of the State are wilting in hot classrooms." Said Ms O'Halloran

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005