The debate is still ringing in the ears of anyone with school-age children: How cold can we expect our students and teachers to be in the classroom? Due to corona, the answer last winter was: ski underwear cold. Many wore them to avoid catching the next cold when the windows were open.
So now the gas crisis. This week, both the German Teachers' Association and the Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) demanded that schoolchildren should not suffer from the savings in energy costs. In the event of an energy shortage, schools should be given gas as a priority, and classes must take place.
It is worrying that teachers and the federal government consider their announcements to be necessary at all. In any case, the gas emergency plan of the Federal Network Agency clearly regulates that social institutions and private households have priority in the supply. This should also include schools. The undignified debate as to whether they should be exempted should households do so has already begun.
Just like the first considerations as to whether 19 or 17 degrees in winter are reasonable or not. This is still a long way from cold underwear and skis, but the discussion alone shows the willingness to demand that the students make a disproportionate contribution to overcoming the crisis.
And so another cold winter in the schools is getting quite close due to the link with possible corona measures. The Education and Science Association (VBE) is already warning that schools must be technically able to offer alternative digital classes in order to counteract energy problems and pandemic-related ventilation. Distance learning as an interim solution for supply bottlenecks? It is up to the Ministers of Education and Education to put a stop to such considerations.
