The majority of pupils in primary and secondary education are taught in school buildings where the indoor climate is inadequate. This means that the lighting, air quality, temperature or acoustics at the school are below standard. This is bad for the health of teachers and pupils, resulting in more absenteeism due to illness. Research shows that a healthy indoor climate leads to better learning outcomes for pupils.
Anko van Hoepen, vice-chairman of the PO-Raad: “School boards and municipalities must always allocate the available resources for school buildings in conditions of scarcity. We have been saying this for years, but various studies have now also shown that school boards and municipalities do not have enough money for good school buildings. This is not money for golden taps, but for functional, healthy, fresh and sustainable buildings where we can provide children with a good education. The average school building is 40 years old and is only replaced after 69 years. Many of these school buildings are designed for classroom-based education, while developments such as integrated child centres and more inclusive education mean that we need flexible school buildings. Additional investments by the national government are absolutely necessary. I therefore want to issue a call to the coalition formation talks: address the existing bottlenecks in the area of school buildings now. Make additional funding available and ensure that responsibilities are clearly allocated.”
Requirements for school buildings
It is good that high standards are set for education and school buildings in the Netherlands. In addition, today's education requires more flexible use of the school building, with space for working as a class and in small groups. School buildings must also be suitable for more inclusive education and for providing more physical education classes. To meet the requirements of the Climate Agreement, we must also work on sustainable school buildings. 31% of school buildings have the lowest energy label, G. By comparison, office buildings often have label C or better. Over the next 30 years, 310 schools must be renewed or renovated every year; currently, that number is 124. The pace must increase significantly to ensure that all schools are healthy, safe, energy-neutral, fresh, free of natural gas, functional and accessible in time.
What is needed? Realistic funding
Both school boards and municipalities receive money from the national government for school buildings. Municipalities are responsible for new construction and expansion of school buildings, while school boards are responsible for operations, maintenance and minor modifications. The funding from The Hague is neither sufficient nor realistic.
McKinsey calculated last year that school boards spend an average of 15% more on educational accommodation than they receive from the national government. The funding provided to municipalities has not kept pace with the rising construction costs of recent years. In addition, they are facing serious shortages in the social domain, meaning that the necessary investments in school buildings are not feasible for many municipalities. The recent Interdepartmental Policy Study on Educational Accommodation, commissioned by Minister Arie Slob (Education), concludes that an additional 730 million euros per year is needed to bring school buildings up to standard over the next 30 years.
The Hague must ensure realistic funding so that school buildings meet the requirements imposed on education. A catch-up effort must also be made to bring outdated school buildings up to the desired standard and achieve the climate objectives. The new cabinet must ensure that municipalities and school boards can invest substantially, so that work can continue on building good education for all children.
Read the article in Trouw here.