33 educational institutions heat up oil in Pristina

While parents say that it would be good to replace this substance with something else, the education department in this municipality says that they are working to replace it, but that it is expensive procedure and that budget is needed.

We remember that in 2014, at 43 educational institutions in the capital, learning had been discontinued, since after an analysis of the high levels of sulfur in oil used in schools.

One of the capital's oil-heated schools is primary school “Naim Frasher”. But this Ganimetie Sopjan-Gashi school has a fourth grade kid. For her as a mother, it is disturbing that this school is heated with oil. She says you'd better get this fuel replaced.

It's very harmful, obviously, to be heated with wood or diapers because of air. For better health it should be wood or diapers. It's very harmful”, she said.

Ymret Resiti, who is chairman of the Council of Parents of Kosovo, agrees. He says he has received several complaints from parents about the use of oil in several Pristina schools.

He also says it is problematic to use oil because of the aroma I can release in the classroom.

With the very fact that we are representatives of their interests and we deal with the concerns that they raised, the moment parents' concerns are presented, we deal with those concerns and address them in relevant institutions to get the right answer. We consider that the use of heating oil is not useful for children's health, compared to the diaper or use of central heating”, he says.

Resiti says municipalities along with the Ministry of Education would have to work on getting heating in schools with diapers or wood. He also says it would be good for schools to be in the city's heating system.

Another school that has the oil heating system is the school “Elena Gjika”, but the assistant director of this school, Agnes Globoder, says they don't have problems with heating. However, it is said that it would be better to have this school locked in the city heating system.

The deputy director for KosovoPress announced that there was no parental complaint about what the school heats up with oil.

The “E know is a very old object, it's a 103-year-old object where the warmth gets a little more difficult, but luckily we've never had this problem, the classrooms are warm. We don't have any winds, no cleaning, no maintenance, so we don't have any complaints or any diseases on the part of kids that have affected our children's health... It's a lot of staff, school staff, so it's always controlled by the house, and we haven't had any problems, but it'd been nice to be cleaner and more hygienic and healthier, which is most important, to be with the central heating system”, it's expressed.

On the other hand, Pristina municipality Education Director Jonuz Salihu has stated that they are analyzing how they can replace oil in schools with other fuels, even adding that they have a priority.

He says this replacement cannot be made overnight, as according to him, the entire heating system must be changed in many schools.

“It is urgent to replace oil in nurserys and gardens, as we have children of new ages and make efforts to make it absolute priority. I also encourage the Ministry of Environment and Education to invest much more in the removal of oil from schools as fuel.. As for the Pristina municipality, I and the mayor have often discussed this topic, and I am confident that within this governing mandate we will replace all the oil-powered stoves to replace them with diapers. There's going to be a little bigger investments out there somewhere because I have to change the network except for the stove, and you've changed the chimneys that don't respond to standards. But these are small investments compared to the costs we do if we use oil as fuel, it's really much more expensive, it's very understandable to our budget, and on the other hand, it's also dangerous”, it's potential for Salihu.

Meanwhile, Education, Science and Technology Minister Shyqi Bytyqi says that so far they have not received any complaints regarding the use of this fuel in schools.

He says that if there are requirements for this substance to be changed, as the minister will find a way to support municipalities.

So far we haven't had any complaints or findings or analysis from the Environment Ministry to recommend us as the minister of education that even this other heating substance is also causing environmental damage. If you come up with such a request, we'll examine it and find more stimulating forms to make a decision that was prohibited. But, so far we haven't had any requests from the Ministry of Environment”, Minister Bytyqi said.

Otherwise, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has made decisions this year that the use of heating coal be banned in schools.