School building delays
Deputy Tóibín raised the poor condition of school buildings and asked whether delayed projects would be resolved this year. The Tánaiste said school building is at record levels and confirmed the issue would be resolved this year, with the Chair curbing follow-up questioning.
There is a massive crisis in the education system. While the Department of Education seems to be more interested in culture wars against the will of the majority of parents in the country, most parents just want schools built in their local areas. Thousands of children are currently going to inefficient, rotten, cold school prefabs. In some cases, the second generation of the same family is going to school in the same prefabs. Other children are going to school in buildings that are over 100 years old and are a threat to their health. These schools have been battling for 20 years to be upgraded. Some of them were literally days away from having the ground broken for the required builds. The Taoiseach sat where the Tánaiste is sitting this week and said the school building projects in question will go ahead this year. The Minister for Education was questioned today and she could not agree with the Taoiseach. Who is right? Is the Taoiseach right that the school builds will go ahead this year, or is it the case that the Minister cannot confirm this, as she alluded to? Will the Tánaiste be clear and honest in answering the question? Campaigners and communities want to know the answer.
Comment on this
To be fair, there has been record building of schools. The schools building programme has seen a record high over the past two years, in particular. That is one reason a whole range of projects have reached their current status. Obviously, the Minister for Education has been working, including with the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, to resolve the issues concerning these projects. They will be resolved.
