Labour Party leader Mr Ruairi Quinn has predicted education will be a major issue in the general election and criticised the Government’s capital expenditure on schools.
"Last week in the Estimates we saw the capital investment programme for both primary and secondary schools effectively reduced in real terms," Mr Quinn said. "It is a sham."
Speaking at the launch of a new Labour Party Education Document today, Mr Quinn characterised the Government’s policies in education as totally insufficient to prepare Ireland for the challenges of the future.
"Our ability to compete in the future will be dependent on the effort and resources we invest in our young people today," he said.
Labour Party spokesperson on Education Ms Roisin Shortall echoed his sentiments.
"The facts are that many school buildings are sub-standard," said Ms Shortall. "The INTO earlier this week published a list of 73 primary schools which are so seriously sub-standard as to be genuinely shocking."
A spokesman from the Department of Education told ireland.comthe Government had allocated £370.5 million this year for building programmes for school projects.
Answering parliamentary questions on the subject earlier this year, the Minister for Education Mr Michael Woods said £220 million had been allocated for primary and post primary school capital projects this year.
Mr Woods said there are currently over 850 major school building projects at various stages of planning, and in excess of 200 school building projects currently under construction or nearing completion which will substantially improve accommodation for the schools in question once completed.