UK Finance Minister Says It Will Spend Whatever It Takes To Make School Buildings Safer

Tiverton High School UK. (Wikimedia Commons/Lewsi Clarke)

JAKARTA - British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt vowed to spend what is needed, to make school buildings safer, when many schools were forced to close before the new school year due to fears of collapsed concrete.

Dozens of schools in the UK were forced to close all or parts of their buildings after being identified as having high-risk autoclaved aeracy (RAAC) concrete.

The closure sparked accusations the ministry failed to act quickly, when the concern first surfaced in 2018.

However, Hunt said the government had taken action and inspected the building at the time. As a result, the building was classified as safe. However, the assessment changed after new information about RAAC was revealed during the summer.

Speaking at BBC's 'Sunday With Laura Kuensberg' event, Hunt will not speculate on the budget required.

"We will spend what is needed to ensure the children can go to school safely, yes," he was quoted as saying by The National News September 4.

He added that Education Ministeregian "immediately acted" when receiving information about school buildings.

A total of around 22.000 schools will be thoroughly examined regarding the use of RAAC based on data since 2018.

Meanwhile, Child Commissioner Rachel de Souza welcomed the funding promise, but said 'we shouldn't be in this situation'.

"There should be very good planning and school development programs that can overcome this over the years," he said at the same event.

"Do we really not need to ask to say, we want a safe and usable building? There is not enough money there and the handling is not fast enough," he continued.

It is known that more than 100 schools and universities have been notified by the Department of Education to close entire or partially of the building, following the collapse of a previously deemed safe beam.

Minister Keegan himself promised that this crisis would not lead to "the return of the dark period of the lockdown", although there are guidelines suggesting schools to use pandemic-style distance learning, as a final attempt if they cannot hold face-to-face learning.

"There is no choice but to close after several cases where RAAC failed," he wrote in The Sun.

Meanwhile, reinforced autoclaved aeracy (RAAC) concrete is a light material widely used on flat roofs, but also on floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s, as quoted by the BBC.

This is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, faster produced and easier to install. However, this does not last long and only has a lifespan of about 30 years.

The structural behavior differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete. In addition, this concrete is prone to structural failure when exposed to moisture. These bubbles allow water to enter the material.

If that happens, the bones that strengthen RAAC will be able to rot, spoil, and weaken.

Therefore, RAAC is often coated with other materials, such as asphalt on the roof panel. However, this material can also experience degradation.

The Standing Structural Safety Committee (SCOSS) noted. "Even though it's called 'concrete', RAAC is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way it's made, it's much weaker."

Meanwhile, according to Loughborough University, there are tens of thousands of these structural panels already in use and "many are showing signs of wear and damage".

Health and Safety Executive said RAAC had passed its life and could be "collapsed with or without notification".