9 Jul 2018

A third of NZ school buildings fail health, hygiene standards

From Morning Report, 6:46 am on 9 July 2018

An initial survey indicates 32 percent of New Zealand's school buildings don't meet modern health and hygiene benchmarks, and a similiar number fall short on standards for lighting, temperature and acoustics. The government wants to bring all schools up to scratch by 2030 and estimates that could cost about 1-billion-dollars a year for ten years. Principals says old buildings are a big problem because they cost a lot to maintain but will never be as good as new rooms. Education Minister Chris Hipkins told RNZ education correspondent John Gerritsen some buildings aren't meeting modern standards, but that doesn't mean they are not safe.