"Classroom insulation renovation urgently" Environmental problem group requests

In order to protect children from the dangerous heat, an environmental organization has requested the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to urgently renovate insulation in school classrooms nationwide.

On the 29th, a volunteer group working on environmental issues such as global warming submitted a request to Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Nagaoka with more than 2,6000 signatures.

The organization is calling on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to urgently upgrade the insulation of classrooms in schools nationwide to protect children from the dangerous heat in some classrooms where air conditioning does not work adequately due to low insulation.

According to the experts who requested it with the organization, when a survey of the room temperature was conducted at an elementary school in Saitama City using air conditioning, the room temperature of the classroom that was renovated was about 7 degrees lower than the classroom that was not renovated, and it was confirmed that it was effective in preventing heat to a certain extent.

In addition, insulation renovation can reduce the use of air conditioning, which leads to a reduction in electricity bills.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, as of September last year, 9% of public elementary and junior high schools have air conditioning equipment in their classrooms, but it is not known how much insulation measures have been taken.

A male student in the third year of a high school in Nagano Prefecture who participated in the press conference said, "If the insulation is not repaired, sweat will come out even if the air conditioner is turned on, and it is so hot that you can't spend time without using your own fan.

Hiroko Kajimoto, one of the organizations that requested the request, said, "I would like the government to take immediate measures so that children can spend most of their day in the classroom where they can stay cool even in summer."