LONDON (Reuters) – More than 150 British schools have been forced to close over risk of collapse, angering parents and teachers on the eve of the start of the school year and posing a new headache for government.
The UK Department for Education has said 156 schools are affected by the presence of autoclave-cured aerated concrete (AAC) in their buildings, which authorities now believe is at risk of collapse.
Britain’s education system, still recovering from the impact of the pandemic on home learning, has been hit by six months of teacher strikes in 2023, in addition to the challenge posed by a lack of funding that schools have complained about. in an inflationary environment.
The difficulties come as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, already weakened by industrial action in the education, health and transport sectors, prepares for national elections next year.
Education Minister Gillian Keegan said the majority of affected schools would remain open, with AAC only found in a small part of school buildings.
“In some cases, the whole school will be affected,” Nick Gibb, Minister for Schools, told Sky News on Friday.
The announcement of the closure of schools comes just a few days before the start of the school year, prompting criticism of the government’s too long reaction time.
“The Department of Education and the government have wasted precious months hiding this crisis when they should have been fixing unsafe school buildings,” said Mike Short, education officer at UNISON.
Gillian Keegan said security was the government’s top priority.
(Report Sarah Young; French version Mariana Abreu, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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