The British government launched a national investigation to assess the safety of school buildings because three schools partially collapsed during the summer, which were found to have been built with less durable concrete used between the 1950s and 1990s instead of safe reinforced concrete. it can only be done for 30 years.
According to the cabinet, the survey shows that the number of schools with risky construction may be in the hundreds, but the vast majority of schools were not built with the weaker concrete, so they are not affected by the closures.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
I realize the timing is frustrating, but I want to give you a sense of what we’re up against. There are approximately 22,000 schools in England, and most importantly, 95 percent of schools are expected to be unaffected by this situation.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told lawmakers there were 156 schools on the list of “critical buildings”.
In addition, Keegan ran into unexpected problems when, after a television interview, he cursed his critics into a microphone he accidentally left on. The minister was forced to apologize separately for his tone.
According to critics, the government must take full responsibility for the situation, as Sunak, as finance minister, halved the number of schools to be renovated in 2021. Sunak called the claim false and stated that the previous governments also provided support for the renovation of 50 schools per year.
The management of schools that have been ordered to temporarily close in whole or in part are now working to find classrooms in nearby institutions for their students or to switch to online education for the start of school.
Cover image source: Getty Images
