When Education Minister Norma Foley announced today that 58 delayed school building projects, including the Ardee ETNS, are now set to resume, it was warmly welcomed by coalition representatives but described by Labour TD Ged Nash as “an embarrassing climbdown” and “a dramatic U-turn.”
There was great dismay last month when the Department of Education announced that the 58 proposed school building projects were to be placed on hold due to increased construction costs.
Educate Together immediately expressed serious concerns and has been calling for the projects to proceed to tender and construction as a matter of urgency. 
“The resumption of these projects as announced this afternoon will come as a welcome relief for our school communities” an ETNS spokesperson said today.
“The delays experienced in these projects have caused considerable concern and uncertainty for students, staff, and parents alike.
Emer Nowlan, CEO of Educate Together said:
“… This pause has caused considerable issues for many school communities around the country. We are calling on the Department of Education and planning authorities to accelerate progress across the school building programme now so that the back-log that has been created can be cleared and schools in temporary accommodation can move into their permanent buildings as quickly as possible.”
Local Deputy Fergus O’Dowd said: “This is fantastic news for the school … I would like to again thank Principal Middleton and the Parent’s Council for their patience in what has been a short but unsettling delay and I hope we will now see the project get back on track for delivery in the very near future.
Ardee Councillor Dolores Minogue said “This news will come as major relief to the community, after 12 long years we were so close to commencement and then we learned of the funding review which effectively put the project on pause.
Labour Deputy Ged Nash however was less than impressed by the recent events. He said that the Minister’s decision was “a dramatic U-turn.”
“Builders were poised to be on site at Ardee Educate Together National School the week after St Patrick’s Day but, with just days to go, the school was told that the project had been paused” he said.
“The move shocked the school authorities and the wider school community and I took up their case in the Dáil and in the media, urging the Minister for Education to reverse the decision.
“That ultimately led to a Labour motion in the Dáil last week where party leader, Ivana Bacik called on the government to progress the 58 paused projects, this year.
“Now, just a few days after that motion and less than a month since the decision was taken to pause these vital projects, the government has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown.”
“I’m hugely relieved the Minister, her department and this government have come to their collective senses and pushed the play button on these vital projects, which should never have been paused in the first place.
“Valuable time has been lost but the priority for the Department of Education must now be to undo the damage that has been done and get these projects restarted as soon as possible” Deputy Nash said.
