A source from the GNR in Vila Real confirmed to the Lusa news agency that, in the morning, they were called to the Douro primary school in Andrães, where a second gate was opened, and classes are proceeding normally.

The military will now file a police report with the Public Prosecutor's Office to inform it of the incident.

At the main gate, which was locked, white sheets of paper bearing slogans such as "Faced with extreme temperatures, we demand clear and timely guidance from the ministry."

Lack of conditions

Lusa contacted Ana Teixeira, a parent representative, who said that temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius have been felt inside the classrooms at that school, where there is an average of 20 students.

“It’s impossible for the children to be at school; there have even been children fainting because of the heat,” said this mother of an 8-year-old girl.

Ana Teixeira recalled that, at the end of this school year, there had been very hot days and nights.

“We have very high temperatures, many days in a row,” she stressed. Even knowing that the situation will not be resolved this year, she added, those responsible are asking for a “solution for the future.”

Difficulties when temperatures rise

The representative assured that the “school has very good conditions and there are no problems in winter.”

“But it doesn’t make sense to maintain a school calendar until so late when the schools don’t have the conditions for it,” she said.

When Elisa Castro arrived at the school this morning to drop off her 10-year-old son, she found the building already open. However, she believes the protest was intended to draw attention to the problem.

This mother said that the “school is too hot for the children.”

Contacted by Lusa, the Vila Real City Council said that, in coordination with the school clusters, it is closely monitoring the situation in educational establishments, particularly at the Douro Basic School, resulting from the exceptionally high temperatures recorded in recent days.

The city hall clarified that the Douro school has had a geothermal air-conditioning system installed since 2012, designed to meet the conditions and technical requirements in place at the time.

Compromising the work of the staff

However, he said, "the episodes of extreme heat that have occurred pose additional challenges to the operation of existing systems."

"The situation had already been previously identified and is being monitored by municipal services. In this context, the municipality will continue to promote dialogue with the school cluster directors, and with parents' and guardians' associations, to share the solutions that are being considered," he said.

At the same time, he added, the municipal technical services have been evaluating alternatives and potential improvement investments to help the building better respond to episodes of extreme heat.

"We understand the concern expressed by parents and guardians and recognise the importance of ensuring adequate conditions of comfort, safety and well-being for students, teachers and other school professionals," the municipality further emphasised.