The Public Accounts Committee has heard that €1.3 billion has been spent on modular buildings for schools in the past five years.
Labour TD Eoghan Kenny, a former teacher, told the committee that prefabs, as he called them, were not conducive to teaching or learning.
He accepted that prefabs might be needed sometimes, but he said the State was now going down the route of providing long-term school accommodation in modular buildings.
He said it was not a long-term solution for schools, he described it as “ineffective and inappropriate” to house children in prefabs, particularly those with special educational needs.
“What is the value for money there?” he asked, and queried the procurement process.
Mr Kenny said he did not think any school principal would choose prefabs over bricks and mortar and said he was worried the Department of Education was moving towards the use of prefabs as opposed to providing long-term solutions.
He described them as “a blight on communities across this country, they’re a blight on school communities and it’s an ineffective way for students to be learning in and it’s unfair on students and parents and particularly teachers … almost to be put into sheds to teach in, I don’t agree with it.”
He also raised concerns about the value-for-money aspect of prefabs.
Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly said it was an “irresponsible approach” and cited St. Patrick’s school in Kildare where the lifespan of these prefabs failed teachers and communities.
He said older prefabs were being replaced with newer prefabs, rather than proper buildings.
Mr Farrelly said PAC couldn’t stand over this approach.
The Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy said he would expect the Department to demonstrate that modular buildings do provide value-for-money.
The Department of Education has responded to criticisms of prefabricated buildings used in schools, saying that they are one of the types of “permanent accommodation” in use.
A spokesperson for the Department said that “Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) reflect the Government’s broader commitment to developing modern, sustainable infrastructure. MMC enhances the productivity, efficiency, and environmental sustainability of school accommodation delivery.”
The spokesperson said: “Offsite construction minimises disruption in live school environments, while factory precision and strict quality control deliver robust, low-maintenance buildings. Today’s modular buildings represent a major advancement from earlier prefabricated forms.”
They added that the department had received “very positive feedback from schools about modular accommodation,” and that they provided a “more efficient way of building, compared to traditional brick‑and‑mortar construction.”
“Modular accommodation is not a short-term solution, it is a strategic part of how Ireland delivers school buildings.”
