CELBRIDGE 26 February 2003: A 3.5 million-euro new school in Celbridge will not be allocated any money this year for furniture and other fittings, and no provision has even been made for blackboards.
The new North Kildare Educate Together school at Ballymakealy is due for completion in May of this year, but the minister for education and science, Noel Dempsey TD, has replied to representations about financing the proper fitting out of the school with the comment that 'on the basis of the budgetary allocation it was not possible to include any replacement furniture for Kildare Educate Together SchooI, and the school must use their existing furniture in the new school'.
The minister also said the budgetary allocation for 2004 and subsequent years 'will determine the rate of progress on furniture projects' that could not be included in this year's programme.
For the past nine years the school has operated from cramped prefabs. There are eight classes and there will be eight classes in the new school. Most of the desks and chairs can be transferred to the new school but some of the older ones cannot because of their condition.
The blackboards in the existing prefabs belong to the company who rent the prefabs to the school and cannot be transferred.
Additional facilities being provided in the new school include a Library/Computer Room, two Special Needs Resource rooms, General Purpose room, Staff room, and Principal's room.
"Because of the Minister's decision, no furniture such as desks and chairs will be available for these rooms," says local TD Emmet Stagg. "The school is due a grant of about 140,000 euros and yet the minister refuses to budge on the issue. What we have here is nothing short of a shambles."
