Teachers and parents call for transparency in school funding

TEACHERS and parents have called for an end to the lack of transparency over school building projects following controversial comments by a TD who said he would not support a school’s campaign because he did not get enough votes in the area.

The Department of Education has sanctioned a 12-classroom building for Scoil Bhríde in Rathcormac, Co Cork, but the site it bought for the project three years ago is still lying empty while almost 230 pupils face into another year in 10 prefabs, again from September.

Last week, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork East Ned O’Keeffe said the school had “a fabulous layout of Portakabins” and that many other schools needed funding first. He said he had asked a parents’ representative why he should look after the people of Rathcormac if they didn’t look after him.