Eleven school locations of the Curio educational institution in Breda will stay closed on Friday after a huge power outage. Due to the malfunction, thirty thousand customers of Enexis were without power for an hour and a half. Students from the schools had previously due to the malfunction. Online lessons, internships and activities outside the schools can continue.
The secondary schools and ROC courses at the following locations closed their doors on Friday due to the power outage:
- Frankenthalerstraat 15
- Frankenthalerstraat 17
- De Beemd 10
- Ganzerik 76
- Vervierstraat 8
- Terheijdenseweg 348
- Terheijdenseweg 350 Including building 700
- Terheijdenseweg 414
- Biesdonkweg 31
- Biesdonkweg 33
- Zomergemstraat 4
Education director Judith Donkers himself was on his way to school location on the Frankenthalerstraat when the traffic lights suddenly went out.
“When I arrived at school, I noticed that the whole school was dark because the light had fallen out. Then you realize that something is going on,” she says.
“The automatic doors were also closed. The caretakers opened them, so that everyone could be taken care of in the hall.”
“It is not safe without light and electricity.”
It soon became apparent that the schools could no longer stay open. “If there is no light and no electricity, it is not safe. We also cannot inform students if something happens and we do not want to take that risk,” says the education director.
After communication with all locations in the affected area, it was decided to close the schools for the rest of the day. “We didn’t know how long the malfunction was going to take, but the start -up of systems often takes a while.”
Student Raf and Hatice of Curio on the Biesdonkweg did not mind that they had to go home earlier due to the power outage.
“There were six hundred people outside, because the school was evacuated. I don’t mind, because we now have a nice weekend,” says Raf.
“We have a weekend earlier.”
Hatice agrees with that. “The blackboard didn’t work, so we couldn’t do anything either. Now we have a weekend,” she laughs.
Yet not all students from the eleven locations were affected. “Friday is a day when many students are on an internship or are busy with practical assignments outside the school. These activities could continue, just like online lessons,” says Donkers.
The education director does not know exactly whether important exams could not take place due to the closure. “There will probably be a class that has now missed a test, but that will all be solved.”
The systems have since been restarted. “The caretakers stayed at school until the power outage was solved and now everything works again.”
We wrote this earlier about the malfunction:
Suddenly a part of Breda was without electricity: “I thought it was night”
Enormous power outage in Breda is over