Scrapping of school repair scheme ‘a betrayal’

THE Education Minister’s abrupt discontinuation of the school summer works scheme is a serious “betrayal” of pupils, parents and boards of management, Labour claimed yesterday.

Under the annual programme, 3,500 projects were completed in schools in need of once-off repair or maintenance.

Yesterday, Labour’s education spokesman Ruairí Quinn estimated there are another 4,300 primary and secondary schools still in need of wide-scale repair.

Under last week’s budget announcement, Education Minister Mary Hanafin justified the decision to discontinue the programme by insisting it would allow for a greater focus delivering as many large projects as possible in 2008.

However, Mr Quinn said the decision would deprive schools, many of which are old and overcrowded, from getting the funds which they have depended on. He reasoned that schools where parents could not make the so-called voluntary contribution would be penalised most.

“The minister has confused public relations with public affairs. She has failed to defend and promote the education sector for which she is responsible for the time being,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Brian Hayes claimed schools are facing “financial meltdown” because of hefty water charges.

In a study of schools nationwide, the party found that some are paying water charges four times higher than this year’s budget funding increase.

As a result of Government pricing policy and under the EU Water Framework Directive, schools are to be charged for water, mainly through metering. However, Mr Hayes claimed schools are already seeing these costs run into thousands.

“Before water charges are taken into account, schools are already finding it impossible to make ends meet with shortfalls in day to day funding and parents being asked to fork out to keep schools afloat.”

A 160-pupil primary school was charged €2,095 for the first three months, representing €13 a child. Separately, 39 secondary schools in south Co Dublin were metered for water at a total cost to the schools of €165,455.

One school in Sligo owes €7,961 for water charges, but was unable to meet the November 1 deadline for payment, said Mr Hayes.

A spokeswoman for the minister said there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to examine how local authorities might allow schools a reasonable level of usage of water and waste services without charge.

“This is a primarily a matter for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government to determine precisely how this commitment will be implemented,” she said.