No level playing field in State fund for schools

STATE funding for primary school buildings varies widely, with Offaly pupils emerging as the best-funded in the country, and Louth students the worst.

Department of Education figures, seen by the Irish Examiner, reveal how each county fares when it comes to capital spending.

The 1999-2003 spending figures also show huge fluctuations in spending in individual counties before and during 2002 the general election year. Even in Louth, with the lowest spend per pupil, the figure increased almost tenfold between 2000 and the general election, but dropped by nearly €450,000 in 2003.