Over 150 schools in the UK have been instructed to shut down certain buildings due to safety concerns, causing frustration among parents and teachers just before the start of a new term. This poses a new challenge for the government and raises concerns over the state of the country’s infrastructure.
The Department for Education announced that 156 schools have been affected by the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their buildings, which has been deemed at risk of collapse.
The education system in the UK has already been struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic, with months of teacher strikes and a lack of funding exacerbating the situation.
These safety concerns further complicate matters for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he prepares for an upcoming national election. The recent wave of strikes in various sectors, including education, healthcare, and transportation, highlights the challenges faced by the government.
Education Minister Gillian Keegan assured that most affected schools would remain open for in-person learning since the problematic concrete was only present in a small portion of the buildings. However, some schools may face temporary closures, including full closure in certain cases.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb acknowledged that it might be safe for students to use classrooms supported by steel girders.
The last-minute announcement of the closures, just days before the start of the new school year, has raised questions about the government’s handling of the situation. Trade union UNISON’s head of education, Mike Short, criticized the Department for Education and the government for not addressing the dangerous state of school buildings earlier.
Keegan emphasized that safety is the government’s utmost priority and stated, “This decision has been made with an abundance of caution.”