IPPN

Published: 03 May 2009

Source: Sunday Times

Education minister Batt O'Keeffe pledges to purchase temporary classrooms that will be used for more than three years
Mark Tighe

A school in Cork has been renting a prefabricated building since 1991 at an estimated cost of €180,000 — more than it would have cost to buy and enough to build a permanent classroom.

Scoil Chobh in Kinsale has the dubious distinction of using the oldest rented prefab in the state. The school, which is in education minister's Batt O'Keeffe's county, has six others, only two of which it owns.

The Department of Education has spent millions renting 100 "temporary" prefabs for national schools for 10 years or more. Such rentals have been criticised as "dead money" by teachers' unions and O'Keeffe has promised to buy prefabs where they are likely to be needed for more than three years.

Documents obtained under Freedom of Information, however, reveal that 397 of the 1,885 school prefabs being rented have been leased for five years or more. The department's total rental bill was €48m last year.

Caitlin Ui Liathain, principal of Scoil Chobh, said it was "totally ridiculous" that her school has been renting a prefab since October 1, 1991. "I am on a list for a buy-out but that prefab is probably worthless at this stage," she said. "It is there a long time and the same rent is paid for it every year. We have a lot of prefabs and some of them are very old. We are meeting the minister and we will tell him about this. We are also on the list to move to a new site."

The department pays 95% of the cost of renting prefabs. The rest is paid by the school's board, which is also responsible for acquiring temporary accommodation.

The Scoil Chobh prefab, rented from Hayes Cabin Services, is used for the school's high infants class. Another of the prefabs in the 200-pupil school has been rented for 10 years. Four others have been rented for less than five years while two have been bought.

Ui Liathain said: "Our yardspace is totally eroded by the prefabs as we're only on a half-acre site. This school was built originally as a two-teacher school in 1963 [it now has 10]. All the rest is prefabs and our original cloakrooms have been turned into a secretary's office and a resource room."

The department was not able to say why so many prefabs have been rented for 10 years or more. A spokesman said €610m would be spent on school buildings this year.

O'Keeffe "has put in place a full review of the department's approach to renting temporary accommodation", his officials say. This is aimed at reducing the overall rental costs for the department and is to be completed later this year. It will examine contract terms with suppliers.

Brian Hayes, Fine Gael spokesman on education, said it was "extraordinary" that the department has been renting a prefab for 18 years.

"It just shows the total incompetence in the department," said Hayes. "They don't even have a full inventory of the prefab stock. Now the minister has asked a consultancy firm to give him a report but in the meantime he is talking hot air and doing nothing.

"It's clear what he must do: the department needs to renegotiate with all the prefab suppliers and set a cap on rental charges. We need action. Everything is tomorrow with the minister."