Ex-teacher argues air-conditioning in classrooms is not a luxury but a necessity

SINGAPORE: Calls to install air-conditioning in public school classrooms have gained renewed attention after a former teacher backed a Workers’ Party MP’s proposal for the Ministry of Education (MOE) to spend less than one per cent of its budget on upgrading classrooms.

The debate over what some have described as “thermal inequality” in schools was first raised in Parliament in September 2025 by Workers’ Party MP for Aljunied GRC Kenneth Tiong. At the time, the Government said it would “continue to explore” the issue.

During this year’s Committee of Supply debates, Mr Tiong returned to the subject, arguing that classrooms remain one of the few spaces in MOE schools that are not air-conditioned, despite being where students spend most of their day.

Pointing out that around 420,000 children study in such conditions daily, he cited a National University of Singapore study which found that cognitive performance could fall by as much as 18 per cent in warm environments.

Mr Tiong also noted that there is currently no temperature standard for classrooms in Singapore schools. Comparing local schools with international and independent institutions that already have air-conditioning, he argued that students in neighbourhood schools were disproportionately affected.

“The children who can least afford the learning penalty are paying it,” he said.

The opposition MP called on MOE to introduce indoor temperature standards and commit to a phased rollout of mixed-mode air-conditioning in classrooms. He estimated the capital expenditure would come in at under S$100 million, which he said amounted to less than one per cent of MOE’s budget and would be a one-time cost.

His proposal triggered mixed reactions online. Some critics argued that large-scale installation of air-conditioning units would significantly increase electricity consumption and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, with some warning that comforts considered essential today could worsen environmental problems in the future.

Others, however, said the reality of rising temperatures made the issue difficult to ignore.

Among them was former primary school teacher Desiree Tan, who voiced support for the proposal in a forum letter published by the national broadsheet.

Ms Tan argued that Singapore’s school infrastructure was designed for a very different climate and said current classroom conditions were increasingly unsuitable for effective teaching and learning.

Drawing on her own teaching experience, she described how concentration levels among pupils would deteriorate by late morning as classrooms became hotter and more crowded.

She said classrooms packed with around 40 pupils often became “thick and sweltering,” while ceiling fans merely circulated warm air and created enough noise that teachers had to raise their voices to be heard.

Ms Tan added that the problem became especially severe during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mask-wearing made the heat more uncomfortable for both students and staff.

According to her, the situation typically worsened after recess, when pupils returned from outdoor activities exhausted and drenched in perspiration just as temperatures peaked towards midday.

She argued that the conditions were now so oppressive that meaningful teaching and effective learning were being compromised.

Calling for a shift away from passive cooling measures such as cool paint and faster fans, Ms Tan said Singapore should upgrade classrooms to reflect modern climate realities.

“We have journeyed six decades into nation-building, and we should be well-positioned to do better for our students,” she wrote.

She urged MOE to establish classroom temperature standards and commit to a phased installation of air-conditioning across schools so that all students could learn in a fair environment, regardless of which school they attended.

Her comments appeared to strike a chord with other educators online.

In a Facebook comment, teacher Otto Fong said he had never taught in a classroom without air-conditioning and questioned how educators could effectively manage increasingly technology-driven lessons in hot environments.

He noted that modern teaching involves teachers moving frequently around classrooms to facilitate activities and engage students rather than simply lecturing from the front.

Without air-conditioning, he joked that he would probably be remembered by afternoon as “that teacher who smelled like a gym locker room.”

Mr Fong also highlighted other practical concerns, including noise spillover between non-enclosed classrooms and the strain that heat places on computers and projectors that are now widely used in lessons.

He warned that higher temperatures could shorten the lifespan of such equipment as schools increasingly rely on online materials, videos and digital presentations in daily teaching.

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