Senedd Member Joel James MS has today called on the Welsh Labour Government to make a statement on the ongoing school maintenance that is currently happening in Cardiff.
The Member also asked for detail on how the Welsh Government is engaging with the council to ensure the work is carried out in a timely fashion to reduce the impact on children's education.
Joel stated:
While we all recognise the importance of maintaining and improving our school buildings, I'm increasingly concerned that, in some cases, these works are taking years rather than weeks to complete.
You may recall, when I previously raised the example of St Monica's Church in Wales Primary School, the scaffolding there had been up for so long that children were progressing through the entire school and leaving, covered in darkness, surrounded by black mould, and never knowing what the building actually looked like. Roath Park Primary School and Albany Primary School are now in similar situations.
Joel also highlighted that, when projects extend over such prolonged periods, they cease to be short-term inconveniences and instead become part of children's everyday school experience.
Closing his contribution, Joel asked if he could finally have some firm direction from the Welsh Government on this mater as it is "unacceptable in the twenty-first century".
Speaking outside the Chamber, Joel said:
Children in Cardiff are being let down by the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council.
School maintenance is just not happening in many of our schools - resulting in pupils and teachers working in environments surrounded by scaffolding and in classrooms covered in black mould. This is unacceptable.
Today, I called on the Welsh Government to intervene and make an urgent statement.
To watch Joel's contribution in full, please click here.
