Millions wasted on renting and buying prefabs, claim teachers

MILLIONS of euro that could be spent on modern buildings is being wasted on renting and buying prefabs, angry teachers claimed yesterday.

Helen O’Gorman, principal of St Mary’s National School in Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, and a member of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation executive committee, said e1.25m has been paid out renting prefabs at her school in recent years.

But it would cost just e3m to provide a new 16-teacher classroom and the school is preparing a mortgage plan to present to the Department of Education, showing that the cost of repaying the loan would cover the prefab rental costs for 15 years.