Two-thirds await building green light

ALMOST two-thirds of schools that were told 18 months ago that their building projects would be started by early this year are still waiting for approval from the Department of Education, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Fine Gael has accused the Government of breaking more education promises and using commitments to schools — desperate for decent accommodation — to win votes.

Former education minister Mary Hanafin announced a list of 54 primary schools in November 2006 which she said would be able to proceed to construction with their extensions or new buildings within 12 to 15 months, or by November 2007 to February 2008.

According to information from the Department of Education, only 19 of the schools are under construction or have approval to begin work.

Most of the remaining 35 have been told by the department to wait for its approval to proceed, despite having planning permission and raising tens of thousands of euro each in local contributions for the projects.

Among those affected is Kilfinane National School in Co Limerick, which featured in the first part of our investigation of school buildings yesterday.

The building was last refurbished in 1909 and the 126 pupils are still using outside toilets.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe says he is reviewing the entire school building programme, including projects already promised funding.

Some of the schools are still awaiting planning permission but others, like Barefield National School near Ennis, Co Clare, have everything in place, apart from clearance from the Department of Education to begin work.

More than half of the school’s 19 mainstream and specialist teachers are sharing prefabs on the grounds, but it has planning approval for an eight-room extension.

The school was about to seek tenders for construction when department officials told them to delay the project in January.

Fine Gael Education spokesman Brian Hayes said the revelation of the number of unapproved construction projects is another example of how Fianna Fáil uses the school building programme as a political slush fund.

“Before the election, commitments were made and afterwards schools around the country have been left down. Under Mary Hanafin, the building programme became the most politically driven, unaccountable and biased it has ever been,” he said.

He called on Mr O’Keeffe to reintroduce a system which was in place during Noel Dempsey’s term in the Department of Education, which allowed schools to see clearly where they stood in terms of priority.

“Schools need to be told where they stand and to be given an indicative timeframe within which decisions will be made and work will go ahead.

“Otherwise, with European and local elections coming up next year, we’re going to see more promises from Fianna Fáil and schools wrongfully being used as political pawns,” Mr Hayes said.