It was recently announced that the New South Wales government is going to invest $500 million toward installing air conditioning systems in schools throughout the state which currently do not have them.
Many school districts in the state contain school buildings which are almost 100 years old.
Although most of these schools previously had air conditioning systems installed in them, their maintenance requests for those systems have been left unanswered for quite some time.
As a result, the air conditioning in these schools does not work anymore. There are also schools which have never had any air conditioning installed. Why? There just weren’t enough funds to cover it… until now.
People might wonder why it is so vital for schools to have air conditioning. Unless you have been a sweaty student in a hot classroom before, then you will not understand how uncomfortable it can be to learn this way.
Decreased Academic Performance
Research studies have shown that academic performance diminishes amongst students who are learning in hotter classrooms.
Their test scores are worse and they also get too easily distracted. For this reason, the state government felt it was necessary to equip these schools with air conditioning so that academic performances can get better.
Better Comfort for Learning
Students cannot concentrate on learning if they are uncomfortable. Sitting in a classroom that is 80°F to 90°F is not conducive to learning.
You will feel lightheaded and become excessively tired and weak. You may even experience headaches too because you will be forcing yourself to try and learn what is being taught.
Meanwhile, your body is too overheated to sustain the appropriate cognitive function necessary for retaining knowledge.
Air conditioning provides a more comfortable temperature for classrooms so that students can learn better – a factor that outweighs the short-term cost of air conditioner installation. The ideal set temperature should be between 74°F to 78°F.
Harder Working Students
When students are overheated by hot temperatures in a classroom, they will feel too tired and lazy to do any school work.
Let’s say a teacher wants their students to work on a big project in class. If the students are half asleep or feeling sluggish, they are not going to be very productive in their work.
But if there is air conditioning to enhance the comfort of the classroom, then students won’t feel so exhausted anymore. Instead, they will feel energetic enough to tackle big projects for a longer period of time.
More Focused Students
When the body is cooled down, the brain can concentrate on learning. Otherwise, the body will be under tremendous strain and stress trying to cool itself down with sweat.
Fortunately, air conditioning can take this stress off the body by producing cool air for the learning environment. Then students can stay focused on the teacher more easily.
Reduced Chance of Heat Stroke
Australian students typically get a 6-week break for summer vacation. However, the warmest days of the year will still be ahead of them when they come back to school.
It is very possible that the warmest temperatures outside could exceed 100°F on some days. If students must sit in a stuffy and excessively hot classroom, it could cause them to get a heat stroke. This will force them to miss school for an indefinite period.
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