School Buildings 29/9/08

Statement by John Carr, General Secretary, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation On School Buildings

29th September 2008

The INTO described the announcement of additional school building projects by the Minister as “a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed”. The union said it was good news for the small number of schools concerned but a hammer blow to other schools waiting to move building projects forward.  

INTO General Secretary, John Carr said there were dozens of schools waiting for years for new buildings, extensions and renovations. “Many of these were led to believe they would have builders on site this year,” said Carr. “Now the Minister appears to be announcing a different set of building priorities.”

Mr Carr said the reality of this announcement is that only five primary schools can expect to make progress. “The rest are well away from seeing builders on site,” he said. “Many other schools have gone to tendering and have got planning permission,” he said. “They have failed to get the green light from the Department to go ahead.”

“There are schools in Ennis in Clare, Kilfinnane, Co Limerick, Passage in Cork and Palmerstown and Clontarf in Dublin to name but a few which have been waiting years for refurbishment and development work,” said Carr. “The Minister’s announcement sidelines these projects yet again. Some of these schools have tendered for projects but are being denied permission to proceed. These schools along with every other school in the building programme deserve an explanation from the Minister.”

He said there was a need for transparency in the decision making process. “Schools are entitled to know how these schools were selected for preferment in the building programme,” said Carr. He called for a return to the publication of full details of the building programme so that confidence in the process could be restored. “Schools should know that decisions like these are not being made on the back of an envelope.”  

ENDS