For the first time ever, Zorica, a teacher in the small eastern Serbian town of Boljevac, can give lessons in a warm classroom during the winter. Her hands are not icy cold while she writes assignments on the board. It is also the first winter that Marija, the captain of the women's basketball team, and her teammates do not have to play in a cold gym. For the primary-school pupils of the ’9.Udarne Brigade’ school and pupils of the ’Nikola Tesla’ secondary school it is also the first winter they do not have to keep their coats on in class.
Not only can his teachers and pupils enjoy working and learning in warm classrooms, but Velibor Stanojevic, the director of the ’Nikola Tesla’ secondary school, also saves on heating costs – thanks to better insulated rooms and windows, which are part of the new environmentally friendly and cost-effective heating system. “The biggest benefit is the reduction of harmful gases, a growing concern for the environment. Waste combustion is reduced to a minimum”, adds Stanojevic.
He has spent years trying to secure the best possible conditions for his staff and pupils. "How important it is to have an efficient heating system can perhaps be best explained by the fact that in Boljevac temperatures can go down to minus 15 degrees in winter." Thanks to the project of the SDC and the GIZ, more than 700 children now enjoy improved classroom heating.
