In recent months it has regularly been in the news that the presence of a CO2 meter will be mandatory in every classroom. But why is this actually? And when does this obligation come into effect? Read it all in this article.
Improving air quality
The main goal is to improve the air quality in every classroom, and therefore in the entire school. The CO2 meter is used as an important indicator.
Why the CO2 meter as an indicator?
Every time you exhale as a person, CO2 is released, which spreads into the air in a room. This in itself is not a big deal. But as the amount of CO2 in a room increases, the amount of available oxygen decreases. If there is too little oxygen in a room, this causes complaints such as headaches, stinging eyes and loss of concentration. You don't want this. You want to be able to breathe in enough oxygen so that you feel good and can concentrate on what you are doing.
In addition to CO2, as a human being you exhale even more substances/particles. If you have the flu or a cold, you also exhale bacteria and virus particles that spread in the air. If these particles remain in the air, there is a greater chance of transmissibility.
So what do you want to do? You want the unclean air to be replaced by new fresh air.
If the CO2 meter indicates that the CO2 value in a room is too high, it is also assumed that the amount of impure air present, as a result of exhaling bacteria and virus particles, is too high.
This is the signal that additional ventilation is required so that the air containing too much CO2 and too little oxygen is replaced by new fresh air with sufficient oxygen, and which is also free of bacteria and virus particles.
In this way, the air quality in every classroom, and therefore in the entire school, is kept as high as possible.
When does the obligation actually come into effect?
On September 30, 2022, Minister Wiersma of Education sent a letter to the House of Representatives regarding this obligation. Officially, however, the obligation will only really take effect from the 2023-2024 school year, because the underlying written Decree still needs to be adjusted accordingly.