Water costs at some schools have trebled
In Fingal, where water charges were based on a flat rate fee of €300 in 2007, a school of 477 pupils will now have to pay €1,725 based on the Government’s new charges of €3 per pupil for last year.
The next two bills will total €1,669.50 and €1,908, thereby creating an unexpected cash windfall for local authorities.
Equally, schools attached to South Dublin County Council that were previously charged a flat rate of €380 for a primary school of 500 pupils will now have to pay €1,725.
Last night, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) John Carr said the extent of the Government’s “mishandling” of the water charges issue was becoming increasingly clear.
“The flat rate charges that are to be imposed on all schools in the short term will mean that most local authorities will take even more money from primary schools,” he said. “Many schools will see their bills doubled or trebled. This shows that government has no understanding of the reality of primary school finances. What was being put forward as a solution worsened the situation.”
He called on Education Minister Mary Hanafin and Environment Minister John Gormley to “go back to the drawing board on this issue”.
Meanwhile, the Joint Managerial Body and Catholic Primary School Management Association are seeking legal advice on the Government’s decision to implement water charges.
Fine Gael has also urged schools to take legal action, claiming the Government is in breach of the Constitution by implementing water charges that schools could not afford.
The INTO said it was inevitable the water charges issue would end up in the courts with impoverished schools facing having their water supplies cut off for inability to pay.
The Association of Secondary School Teachers in Ireland said it completely understood the need for legal advice on this issue, with schools already grossly underfunded.
