The school building is important

Once upon a time, schools were built to be schools. Back then, they planned for the school building to fulfill its purpose. Of course, there are old schools that included an apartment for the teacher. So, these are not the ones I mean. I am referring to the schools that have everything needed to conduct education today. The school building was important because we wanted educated citizens. It was therefore an important signal about how we viewed the dissemination of knowledge that took place in the school building. I therefore think that Goran Cars ,professor of community planning, that we should “Recapture the ideals that guided public urban planning 100 years ago. "

It is interesting to read about history of the school building and learn everything from school buildings to public housing architecture. Did you know that schools were built back then with spacious classrooms where you weren't disturbed by the sounds from the room next door? Where there was room for outerwear and you could get around without being crowded? Schoolyards, sports halls, music halls and dining rooms with their own kitchens became a given. They even built swimming pools so that students could have swimming lessons at school.

Crowded schools today

Today, none of this is obvious to children starting school. Schools seem to be able to be run in any type of premises. You can now take more students into a class than a classroom is designed for. According to LT increased the number of students in classes by 15% between 2012 and 2022. At the same time, the classrooms are often the same. They are therefore not designed for such large classes. The ventilation in the school building is not adapted for so many people. It should therefore not be an acceptable working environment for either students or teachers.

The premises can therefore be cramped and noisy. In the corridors, children's jackets hang on top of each other. Mittens and hats are kicked around on the floor. With so many people close together, they will make noise and touch each other. This is why conflicts easily arise in the school building and lessons are disrupted. 

Soundproofing is not a given. That's why you can clearly hear when the parallel class is watching a movie or listening to music. You can hear students screaming and teachers shouting. There is nowhere to go for those who need peace and quiet. No quiet corner, no group rooms and not even a meeting room for the adults in the school building.

Practical-aesthetic subjects

SVT concluded in 2019 that one in five schools in Sörmland lacks a gym. These schools need to rent somewhere else. Those of us who didn't have a pool remember how long it took to get to the bathhouse when we had swimming. Imagine that students today need to spend that time on every sports lesson. Students could spend that time better.

Today we have art rooms without water. Home economics rooms with a lack of stoves. Craft rooms without proper ventilation, protective equipment and tools. We have music teachers who are fiddling around with instruments in the school building. The shortcomings of practical aesthetic subjects were clearly evident in a study which was carried out in Gothenburg. It emerged that every third teacher in these subjects lacks appropriate premises. 

School food

Not all schools have a school kitchen. Municipal schools have high standards for the food they serve. The children should get good food so that they can get through the school day. They can offer the children 3 courses and a salad buffet. Independent schools do not have to do that. Municipal school kitchens do not deliver to them. Instead, they can hire the cheapest supplier they can find. Long transports are not a problem. Why not require all schools to have a kitchen in the school building?

Schools can also have a cafeteria so undersized that the food queue winds its way through corridors and stairwells, echoing throughout the school building. Students spend so much time in the food queue that their lunch break is wasted. Some get tired and choose to go on break without food. Others eat and have to do without play. Some lack schoolyard So then it can do the same thing. They don't get the opportunity to move around like they should, which will affect their ability to cope with the lessons.

To reduce crowding in the dining room, some students have to eat as early as 10:20. Does that sound like a reasonable lunch time? According to Southeast There is a dietary policy that states that lunch should be served from 11 a.m. It becomes difficult with many students and a small area. It is not possible to squeeze too many people into the dining room as this poses a fire hazard. Instead, it often becomes stressful so that the children do not have time to eat their fill. Since the children eat early and do not have time to eat properly, it is not surprising that they are hungry later. This problem took Aftonbladet up then they 2018 revealed that our school cafeterias are crowded.

 

We must decide what a school is.

I think it should be a building that is planned for that very purpose. We cannot open schools in just any vacant premises. There must be requirements for what a school can be and how many people can attend it based on what it is planned for. This will increase the comfort and facilitate teaching. All schools should be equally good. Therefore, we must set requirements for what a school should look like. Through equivalent school buildings, we come closer to equivalent teaching. When we prioritize the school building, we show that we believe that education is important. If we want educated citizens in the future, we should invest in schools and ensure that all school buildings are suitable for the purpose.