Dear Editor,

There is a heat crisis that is wreaking havoc in schools in St Elizabeth. The heat is so intense that it is seriously stifling the teaching and learning process.

I bring you first-hand experience from the fiery furnace, which teachers and students in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, must endure. Without exaggerating, teachers are teaching in hell and it has become unbearable. Upon entering the classrooms, the teacher is greeted by a wave of sweltering air, and sweat immediately begins to spring like a well, making it an exercise in futility to dry one’s face.

And, if this was not enough, the sweat transforms into an uncontrollable waterfall down the back. It is most uncomfortable and irritating, to say the least. Can you imagine the torture those peri-menopausal and menopausal teachers are experiencing?

At work, the school environment is like an educational water park, with attires drenched with sweat. Personally, I have had some unfavourable episodes. One of which is, while marking the register, my sweaty, saturated hair kept dripping on the register.

The devastating effects of the heat are not a secret. In fact, it is a challenge, which seems to get worse each year. Undoubtedly, teaching and learning are compromised in these furnace-like classrooms, and I am wondering if the authorities are not going to treat this crisis with urgency.

It is foolhardy to pour water into porous containers. In the same way, if students are expected to be perform optimally, they must be placed in the best position to succeed, and having a conducive learning environment, is part of the solution.

The heat causes sweating, and sweating can lead to dehydration, and dehydration can lead to headaches and decreased concentration. Additionally, the heat can affect the brain, causing a person to have trouble thinking. Elsevier (2019) documents findings from a research, which posits that, “Thermal discomfort caused by elevated temperatures in classrooms has been shown to reduce the ability of pupils to perform typical school tasks and to reduce the results they obtain in national tests examining progress in learning.” These findings are consistent with my experiences because, in these hot classrooms, students are seen agitated and restless and are more concerned about keeping cool, rather than trying to understand and internalisze content.

While teachers painstakingly try to teach, students can be seen twisting and turning, some with heads on desks, while others are frantically fanning as if also fanning away anything the teacher is imparting. It was not surprising to hear students’ feedback on the impact of the heat.

One student said: “For some reason, when I am hot I tend to sleep, so it puts a drowsiness on me, so I can’t really focus.” Said another, “Since lately because of the heat I have been so tired. It makes me feel lazy and have lack of energy to do things and it lets me feel sleepy during the day.”

I am simply saying that teachers and students are burning up in the fury of the heat and this is inescapable because most of the classrooms do not have any cooling devices. Students and teachers try to respond to the heat crisis by using handheld fans, but the fierceness of the heat is no match for the little fans.

The heat is so stifling that sometimes I feel like I am going to pass out. Instruction paused while temporarily seeking refuge outside the classroom in order to regain my composure. This I can do while the students remain in hell burning. This is brutal! Finding a solution to this crisis must be prioritised.

While installing air-conditioning units in the classrooms is unlikely, the authorities should consider installing wall fans in each classroom. This cannot be considered a panacea, but it would at least give some respite from the blistering heat. Recently, I saw on the television the leadership of Seaside Primary School in Portland took matters in their hands and raised funds to purchase air-conditioning units for the classrooms. To date, four out of seven classrooms have units, while, in the meantime, the others have fans. One could see the relief on the students’ faces as they spoke how much more comfortable they were. They also shared that their learning was affected as the classrooms were so hot. It is a fact that sustaining air conditioning units will be challenging; thus, it is recommended that schools invest in solar energy, while finding creative ways to secure the solar panels. The start-up for solar energy is expensive, but over time it will prove to be effective. Anything that will maximise students’ learning experiences is worth it.

A popular saying says, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” The authorities should hastily convene a meeting to strategise how they will retrofit the classrooms with cooling mechanisms. The heat is here to stay, so we just have to find ways of lessening its sting. Failing to do this, we will never get 100 per cent effort from our teachers and students in the hottest months. We will never get the ultimate from our students because the heat is a hindrance, dwarfing their outputs.

In conclusion, we want the authorities to show us that they have the will to alleviate this heat crisis. We want to witness their empathy, by their attempts to improve our working conditions, doing whatever it takes to rescue us from hell, because teaching in hell is no fun at all.

Kerene Nelson

St Elizabeth Technical High School

yaraker78@yahoo.com