Stifling 33-Degree Heat Cripples Learning at Corsica’s Cité Scolaire de Montesoro
Students and teachers at the Cité scolaire de Montesoro are facing extreme classroom temperatures exceeding 33 degrees Celsius.
Greenhouse Effect and Non-Operational Equipment Stalls Technical Tracks
High temperatures inside south-facing classrooms create a greenhouse effect that leaves students struggling to concentrate by the end of the day. Window restrictions due to safety or aging materials prevent proper airflow, forcing students to share personal cooling devices like portable fans.
While a newer science building features operational air conditioning, other parts of the campus rely on an insufficient number of fans. In technical tracks, installed cooling units remain non-operational, leaving workshops and classrooms uncooled.
Deferred Maintenance and Physical Toll Spark Health Concerns
Teaching staff confirm that the extreme environment takes a heavy physical toll on everyone inside the building. Teaching and studying under these conditions demand immense effort, and a student recently required medical attention after falling ill from the heat. Teachers attribute the crisis to years of deferred maintenance and delayed repairs, describing a severe financial bottleneck that prevents the administration from quickly replacing worn-out materials.
Union Criticism Targets the Collectivité de Corse Over Local Funding
Marie-Catherine Giacobbi, a French teacher, board member, and academic union representative for Sgen-CFDT, states that indoor temperatures reaching 33 degrees Celsius severely compromise academic progress beyond mere physical discomfort.
According to Giacobbi, the Collectivité de Corse—the local authority that owns the school buildings—has failed to provide a comprehensive, long-term solution. Union representatives argue that requests for campus air conditioning are not demands for special treatment, but rather a call for a broader academic cooling plan, raising questions about current local budget allocations.
Principal Acknowledges Competing Demands on Limited Public Resources
Jean-Martin Mondoloni, the school principal and an elected member of the Assembly of Corse, acknowledges these funding concerns.
According to Mondoloni, public funds are frequently directed elsewhere rather than into critical school infrastructure, though he notes that the local governing body is operating with limited available resources.
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