Disgraceful amount spent on school prefabs

The amount of money spent by the Government renting prefabs for schools around the country is nothing short of disgraceful. The figures were disclosed yesterday (Tuesday) after Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes raised the question in the Dáil and it emerged that in excess of €1m was spent renting prefabs for one school alone last year. There is clearly an extreme need for an increase in accommodation at many schools around the country, not least in Rathoath Junior School in Meath where €1,050,000 was spent on the rental of prefabs in 2008. Our children do not deserve to be educated in prefabs, but unfortunately for many of them, they will spend their primary eduction in these prefabs due to the lengthy process involved in construction new classrooms, and indeed, even schools. Today"s school children will be faced, not only with the prospect of being educated in less than adequate accommodation, but also with increased class sizes, less teachers, cuts in special needs education funding and cuts in education grants. That this is the case after the boom we have experienced in this country over the past decade is nothing short of despicable. At every education level, students are being faced with difficulties, difficulties that could have been avoided if it was not for the blatant mismanagement of the public finances during the boom years. Primary school and second school students are facing being educated in inadequate facilities in an education system that will most likely be grossly underfunded for the duration of their schooling, due to the economic state we now find ourselves in. For those who pursue third level education, they will face the prospect of the reintroduction of fees, or at the very least, an increase in registration fees, which could leave them seriously in debt when they complete their course and with little prospect of employment thereafter. Of the ten schools revealed yesterday as the top spenders on prefab rentals, amounts varying from just over €140,000 up to in excess of €1m was spent on the rentals last year. And these are just the top ten spenders, these figures don"t take account of the hundreds of other schools which have spent varying amounts renting prefabs last year and the years previous to this. Surely now is the time to address this. Surely now it is time for some innovative thinking around the Cabinet table. As many construction workers are faced not only with unemployment, but the prospect of having to emigrate to get work and many construction companies struggle to stay afloat, would it not be more beneficial to our school children, our workers, and indeed our wider economy, to channel money into building new classroom accommodation than to simply rent prefabs? Not only would our children benefit from being schooled in more adequate accommodation, but such an initiative would create much needed employment in the construction industry and would even benefit the taxpayer due to a decrease in the numbers claiming social welfare payments. And yes, there are planning issues surrounding the construction of new schools and classrooms, but surely the Government could impress on the Department of the Environment and local authorities around the country the urgent need to fast track such planning applications to ensure that our children receive the education they deserve with the school facilities that we should, now, be well able to afford following the boom of the 90s and most of this decade.