A primary school is in a poor state

File Photo, Jean-François Desgagnés
École Saint-Malo, in the Saint-Sauveur neighbourhood of Quebec city, was built in 1902. It is the oldest school of the Commission scolaire de la Capitale.

Daphnée Dion-Viens

Wednesday, 28 march 2018 11:21

UPDATE
Wednesday, 28 march 2018 11:23

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The school network account even more schools dilapidated than last year. More than one primary school is in a poor or very poor condition.

This is according to budget documents made public Tuesday. In one year, the deficit of maintenance of assets has jumped from 1.8 to $ 3.3 billion. Only 45% of primary schools and 53% of secondary schools are in good condition or in a condition deemed satisfactory. “The state of infrastructure has deteriorated considerably this year”, we read.

The deterioration was due to the addition of the work of the order of $ 1.2 billion associated with the “natural deterioration” of the buildings, but also by the improvement of the inspection process that revealed the need to do the work of $ 800 million that had not yet been listed.

The ministry of Education also expects that the deficit of maintenance of assets will continue to rise for a few years due to the new process of inspection of buildings and the limited capacity of some school boards to increase the pace of the work.

The Coalition avenir Québec believes that it is a “devastating toll” for the government Couillard. “Our schools are worse than last year, but less worse than next year. It gets worse every year,” said the mp caquiste Jean-François Roberge, during question period in the national Assembly.

The minister of Education, Sébastien Proulx, admits that it will still take a lot of time before you re-condition all school buildings. “We are in for years to get rid of the schools are dilapidated, but we will get there, because we have investments that will give us the means to succeed”, he said, while recalling that the work in schools can be achieved during only a short period between June and August.

The government Couillard provides that, with the investment announced Tuesday, all schools will be in a condition deemed satisfactory by 2030.

More details to come…