BUILDERS ARE refusing to start work on some school sites because of fears they will not get paid due to Government cutbacks, Sinn Féin said last night.
In a related development, the INTO said it has made representations to the Department of Education on behalf of some schools in the serious position of "having insufficient funds to pay builders to complete building works".
Sinn Féin says several dozen schools which have been given approval for school extensions cannot now proceed with building because of a shortage of funds.
The party's education spokesman, Senator Pearse Doherty, said he was aware of at least 26 schools in one region which have been left with a huge shortfall.
He said the current funding given to schools seeking extensions because of overcrowding is €1,200 per square metre, less than half the going rate.
While the Department of Education had set aside additional funding available for unavoidable extra costs, no application, he said, has been successful in acquiring this funding.
"Many schools have applied but cannot get a response from the department. This is unacceptable,'' he said.
John Carr, general secretary of the INTO, said a number of schools had building works sanctioned under the Small School Scheme and Permanent Accommodation Scheme.
Under this scheme, funding was devolved to the school to have the work done by local builders. Many have been left with a shortfall of funding due to either unforeseen circumstances arising with sites or to the cancellation of the 2008 Summer Works Scheme (SWS).
The INTO said many of these schools had been assured by department officials before building work started that funding would be forthcoming, either through SWS or the contingency budget. Now they are being told additional funding is unavailable.
The union has asked the department to sanction funding to allow these projects to be completed.
Sinn Féin said the current situation is unsustainable.
