– The air in the classroom feels really strange and disgusting. It doesn’t smell very good, says Darlene Tran (8). She has been a student at Åsen school in Viken county for a year and a half. news meets her together with two older classmates, Sanya (12) and Sanika Sarao (9). They agree with Darlene that the air is not good. – The smell in the school is just absolutely miserable. It smells bad, Sanya thinks. Little sister Sanika says that many in her class get headaches and go home. It happens every day, she says. Darlene (8), Sanya (12) and Sanika (9, back to back). All the girls are pupils at Åsen children’s school in Lørenskog. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Sanika (9) in a group room with a hole in the wall. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Seventh-grader Sanya Sarao at the sink in the classroom. He is so short that she has to bend down every time she washes her hands. – My back hurts, says the 12-year-old. Lørenskog municipality says that they have implemented measures. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news 12 years old and hip pain It’s not just the indoor climate that is a problem at Åsen school. Sanya’s classroom is full of chairs and desks, but they are not suitable for all the students. When the seventh-grader sits at a desk in the classroom she uses every day, her knee goes all the way up into the tabletop. The desks are too low, says Sanya (12). Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news – Look, the knee doesn’t fit. My hip hurts, says Sayna. She said that the class only has four “tall” desks in the classroom. – We are several tall students in the class. When those of us who are tall don’t get one of the four desks, it’s a problem, she says. Panel room at Åsen children’s school. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Sanya mentions panel rooms that are loose on the floor. They have fallen off the wall. Others are about to come loose. The school also lacks sun shading, and there are holes in the wall. The students say that they hear everything from adjacent classrooms. – Every time we speak up, we get the same reason. They say we have to wait for a new school. But we’ve waited long enough now, says Sanya dejectedly. Lørenskog municipality responds Lørenskog municipality through its director of upbringing and education, Børge Tomter, was informed of all the allegations in the case in an interview on 9 December. Director of upbringing and education in Lørenskog municipality, Børge Tomter. Photo: JON PETRUSSON / news After the interview, news sent several written questions about the case to the municipality. They were answered by communications manager Bettina Thorvik by e-mail on 20 December. Thorvik writes: – It is unknown to us that there have been complaints after parts of the ventilation system were upgraded in 2020. We measure the indoor climate regularly. Nor has the municipality been aware that the desks and chairs are not suitable for the pupils. The school arranges this now. Holes in the wall between classrooms are “sealed” with a small brick. The pupils, teachers and parents say that the block does not help, and that the sound from adjacent classrooms is disturbing. Several say it has been like this for over four years. Photo: Private – Hola was discovered on a visual inspection in December 2022. Repairs to the hole will be carried out during the first half of 2023 in conjunction with other works at the school. The school building was built as an open school, and lightweight walls were put up afterwards. This means that the sound insulation at the school is not optimal. When we get word that curtains and blinds have fallen down, they are hung up, writes communications manager Thorvik in Lørenskog municipality. Window without sun protection at Åsen children’s school. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Thorvik also writes that “it is understandable that the pupils become impatient”. news presented all the conditions above when we interviewed director Børge Tomter on 9 December, something the student council has brought up several times. Then Tomter said that he did not know about the hole and that the municipality had only had a visual experience on 7 December. Tomter then confirmed that the first report on the condition at Åsen school already came in 2015 and that he is familiar with it. The report stated on page 14 that: “The school buildings at Åsen school need extensive rehabilitation if they are to be part of the municipality’s future school structure”. Climbing mice At Åsen school, the school kitchen has been closed because of mice. They move in during the winter, tell the pupils, parents and teachers alike. – We know they are coming. There have been mice at the school in all the years I’ve been in charge, says environmental justice manager Sylvi Rudi. Environmental justice manager Sølvi Rudi tells about mice. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news She has a seat in the meeting with the inspector and pupils. Then the students started laughing, without her realizing why. – Then there were mice behind me, says the head of environmental law. She shows with her hand how the mouse climbs up the curtain. The municipality’s communications manager Bettina Thorvik responds by e-mail: – The problem with mice is now being followed up by both Pelias and Lørenskog municipalities. As regards the school kitchen, it was decided that no lessons would be held that day because a bad smell was discovered in an adjoining room. A mouse was later discovered in the wall (which was the cause of the smell). When news visited Åsen school on 5 December, representatives from the student council commented on the bad smell in several places. – With 90 percent certainty of mold Inside the teachers, on the floor, there are traps containing bearded dragons. Recently there were mice there. The teachers Ann Iren Skålseng, Marianne Gundersborg and Johanne Olsen Mosling in the teacher’s room at Åsen Kindergarten. NB! The last image in this image sweep shows a dead mouse in a trap. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Trusted teacher Geir Goksøyr points to a mousetrap under the desk in the teacher’s room. The situation at the school affects the teachers, he says. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Mousetrap in the teacher’s room. Less than a meter away is a bearded crab trap. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Trap for bearded dragons under the neighboring table in the leather room. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Dead mouse in a trap at Åsen children’s school. Photo: Private On the ceiling there is a mark from damp and on the wall there is a black area. Mushroom specialist and daily manager at Mycoteam. Photo: Jarle Nyttingnes news has filmed and taken pictures. We have shown the ticket to Mycoteam. They are specialists in examining and assessing moisture and biological building damage. – What I have seen is moisture stress. I can say with 90 percent certainty that there is mold under the striped wallpaper, says mycologist Kolbjørn Mohn Jenssen to news. One of the photos news has shown Mycoteam. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news The mycologist says that visible mold must be removed. – Everyone involved in the management and operation of buildings must know this, says the mushroom expert at Mycoteam. Communications manager Bettina Thorvik in Lørenskog municipality answers: – Skjeggkre are found in many of our buildings and are difficult to get rid of. In order to limit the scope, traps are placed, sprayed along moldings, floors are kept tidy and there is systematic cleaning. One of several bearded men at Åsen children’s school. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news Allegations from staff and parents about mold at Åsen school were presented to director of upbringing and education, Børge Tomter, during the interview on 9 December. Tomter then replied that they “were aware of old damp damage in the building, but that the property department thought there was no mold at Åsen school”. – If mold is suspected, we will engage a company to check this, writes communications manager Bettina Thorvik in Lørenskog municipality by e-mail on 20 December. Unwanted health consequences If there is mold at Åsen school, it can be serious. – Problems with moisture and the growth of mold indoors have been linked to unwanted health consequences, such as allergies and respiratory disorders, states senior researcher Rune Becher at the Institute of Public Health. He speaks on a general basis. Becher says that mold can lead to worsening of existing asthma, cough, wheezing in the chest, respiratory tract infections, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Public Health Rune Becher. Photo: Anders Fehn / news bronchitis, allergic rhinitis and eczema. This is the case with those who stay in an indoor environment with such conditions. – There is a possible link between being exposed to mold early in life and the development of asthma. Especially among children who may be genetically predisposed to develop asthma, says the senior researcher. Sad on behalf of the students FAU head Vidar Skillingsås tells of strong reactions from the parents and teachers after the municipality told them that they wanted another postponement of the new school. Until 2028. FAU head Vidar Skillingsås. Photo: Hallgeir Aunan / news – After seeing how bad it is at Åsen school, I am very sad on behalf of the students. A new school should be built as soon as possible, Skillingsås believes. The FAU leader says he has seen damp spots, mold, mouse and pest traps at Åsen children’s school. He has also known how bad and stuffy the smell is in many places at the school. – The school is run down. If this had been the workplace of those who run the municipality, I don’t think they would have looked forward to going to work. And that is exactly how it is for many of the students and teachers. They see that the school is not in good condition. They tell about conditions that make the school not a safe place to be, and how the students feel everything that is not good, instead of concentrating on learning, says FAU head Vidar Skillingsås. news has contacted the principal at Åsen school, Nina Hoel Kjørstad. She does not wish to comment on the case. We have also been unable to reach the safety representative at the school, Caroline Bekkan, or the chief safety representative in the municipality, Shagufta Mahmood, despite repeated attempts over several weeks. First in the queue and safe conditions news has asked director of education and upbringing Børge Tomter if he finds the conditions at Åsen nursery school satisfactory and safe. And about when the pupils can get a school in line with the requirements in the Education Act. In the interview this month, Tomter replied: – Lørenskog municipality believes that the situation at Åsen school is sound. When there is a need for interventions, it is followed up when it is reported. Tomter admits that Lørenskog municipality has its own responsibility for follow-up, when news asks him. Director of education and upbringing in Lørenskog municipality, Børge Tomter. Photo: Anita Stellander / news The director of education and upbringing says that Åsen school is now first in the queue for rehabilitation. – We have had a maintenance effort that means that the school should last until 2026. Now we have started measures that mean that the school will be safe until 2028, says Børge Tomter. He cannot set a date when the measures at Åsen school will be completed. Serious maintenance backlog on Norwegian school buildings In a report published earlier this year, Multiconsult states that the maintenance backlog on Norwegian schools is around NOK 100 billion. According to the report, over 800 school buildings have large or serious deviations in ventilation. Education News is among those who have written about this. Multiconsult wrote in the report that these “are serious deviations, and could affect the indoor climate in a negative direction”. A further 31 per cent, over 1,800 buildings, have significant deviations and an unsatisfactory condition. In total, 45 per cent, 2,700 of the around 6,000 school buildings, have such poor ventilation systems that they require repairs. Multiconsult’s investigation was carried out on behalf of the Parents’ Selection for Basic Education. Read the story from Uddanningsnytt here.
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Darlene (8) goes to a school with damp, beards, mice and bad smells – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
