Telling children about clean air while heating them with fuel oil makes education meaningless, the Ecological Movement "Ozon" announced today.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) said that they are proposing to the Government of Montenegro to provide funds in the 2026 budget to begin providing environmentally friendly heating in preschool and school institutions in order to prevent indoor air pollution and protect the public health of students and educators.
"For several years, the Ecological Movement 'Ozon' has been communicating with concerned parents who contact us from schools that are heated with fuel oil, rightly concerned about the health of their children, so we believe that this issue has not been approached in a concrete way, and since the current story about Chapter 27 is being updated, we will remind the Government that during 2022 and 2024, information was made public about the talks between the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) about installing solar panels in schools, which would also provide environmentally friendly heating in those facilities that have the conditions for such projects," the statement from "Ozon" signed by Aleksandar Perović, director, states.
The "Ozon" statement also states that, as they have recently been informed that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Ervin Ibrahimović, opened the international event "Healthy Indoor Air. A Global Call to Action", which Montenegro organized together with France, on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, with the support of the Australian Academy of Sciences, the Burnet Institute and Brown University, they recognize the right moment to point out that it is necessary to move from words and promises to concrete actions in anticipation of the heating season.
"Talking and teaching children about healthy air while heating kindergartens and schools with heavy fuel oil, fossil fuels, not only makes the education process meaningless, but also has a negative effect on environmental awareness among the youngest, who perhaps more than anyone else recognize 'selling fog' and empty talk. Fully aware of the large investment and demanding work, we would like to point out that it is necessary to begin implementing concrete activities and that the preparation of the budget for 2026 is the right time for the Government to provide funds to begin investing in infrastructure for environmentally friendly heating in schools, and for EPCG to also recognize the importance of its participation in this, above all, humane process," said "Ozon".
The NGO said they believe "that support could also be obtained from the Eco Fund, which would strategically approach solving the problem of indoor air pollution in preschool and school institutions, which would have the support of the entire society and be a visible and measurable step towards improving the quality of the environment in Montenegro."
"We hope that the Government recognizes the justification of the proposal and that the 2026 budget will provide funds to begin solving this problem," said Ozon.
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