All State Public Schools in Rio de Janeiro to Get Air Conditioning

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Education Secretariat of the State of Rio de Janeiro is going to provide air conditioning to all 1,222 public schools in the State. Some 24,000 air conditioners have been purchased. Currently, only four percent of education facilities have adequate equipment.

The first shipment, with 7,000 units, arrived on Wednesday, October 16th, and was delivered to the headquarters of the Federal Highway Police, in the Irajá neighborhood, North Zone. By the onset of the next school year, 100 percent of schools will be provided with air conditioning.

These are inverter-type devices, which in addition to being more cost-efficient, reducing consumption by up to 30 percent compared to conventional devices, are quieter, preserving the vocal health of teachers.

In front of with students from Itaguaí, Governor Wilson Witzel listed the actions that the State Government has undertaken to improve public education in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

“Rio de Janeiro is turning the tables on education. In addition to this purchase and delivery of air conditioning equipment, the state government will invest in full-time schools and military personnel, purchase equipment and furniture for teaching facilities and also provide technical training for teachers, among other initiatives,” said the governor.

The Secretary of State for Education, Pedro Fernandes, said that this is the largest purchase of air conditioning equipment for schools in Brazil.

“The well-being and the quality of the classroom environment are vital for students and teachers. More so, in a state like Rio de Janeiro, where heat is one of the main issues. We are sure that the new equipment will greatly improve the teachers’ working conditions, enabling students to focus more on content, among other benefits,” said Pedro Fernandes, the Secretary of State for education.

Federal Highway Police school in partnership

Governor Wilson Witzel; Secretary of Education, Pedro Fernandes; and Federal Highway Police (PRF) Superintendent, Silvinei Vasques, conducted an inspection of the area where the first school of the Brazilian Federal Highway Police will be housed. The school will operate in a building inside the PRF facilities, in the neighborhood of Irajá, and will welcome its first students as early as the next school year.

The facility will operate full-time, with extended periods for Portuguese and Mathematics. The school will also focus on sports, with curriculum components similar to those of military schools, with professional qualification courses for students. The PRF’s management team and teachers from the state school system will be in charge.