NSW schools’ $1.2 billion repair bill: Maintenance backlog affecting students

Broken electrical and water systems, busted toilets and classrooms that flood when it rains are just some of the hundreds of issues that teachers and students need to contend with at NSW schools.

A failure to keep up with school maintenance has left some ­deteriorating so badly that kids have to take off their shoes and socks and roll up their pants when it rains because their classrooms flood.

At others, children must queue to use staff toilets because theirs are broken, or are so rank that teachers must pour bleach down them each morning to stop kids “holding on” all day.

One teacher told The Sunday Telegraph how he uncovered a “flickering” electrical cable in the roof cavity of his classroom, while another described how the floor in one classroom had become a “trampoline”.

These are just some of the hundreds of examples of $1.2 billion worth of repair works that Education Minister Prue Car says were left behind by the Coalition government.

The maintenance liability comes despite the former Liberal government vowing to fix a $1 billion public school maintenance backlog in 2020 – which it did – only to fail to keep up the funding.

Broken toilets are an issue impacting NSW schools. Picture: Supplied

Figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph show after the former government cleared the maintenance backlog, it put just $164 million towards repairs the following year, despite schools listing $548 million worth of repairs.

While the lower spend could be blamed on the disruption of the pandemic, the spending level remained low the following year with $341 million put towards maintenance despite the backlog growing to more than $1 billion.

Even an attempt to play catch-up last year with $577 million put towards fixing schools has failed to wipe the $1.2 billion backlog. The Minns government now has $640 million worth of unfunded maintenance works.

This has led to schools having to organise urgent repair call-outs with more than 96,471 made this financial year so far.

Almost one-quarter of those have been to fix broken electrical and water systems.

The next most common call-outs were for malfunctioning heating, airconditioning, faulty doors or windows, dangerous grounds, sewage and storm water issues, roofing, walls and dodgy gas systems.

More than $1 billion is required to fix NSW schools. Picture: Supplied

Separate to the urgent repair list are the maintenance requests being made by schools to fix student and staff toilets, classrooms and play areas.

The flickering electrical cable was one of the urgent works that was repaired.

The latest school maintenance list shows one in southwestern Sydney needs more than $4.3 million of repairs.

The next worst school is one in northern Sydney with a $3.7 million maintenance liability.

One teacher, speaking to The Sunday Telegraph on the condition of anonymity due to rules not permitting staff to speak to media, nominated his school as “the worst”.

“I’m pouring bleach down the toilets every morning, otherwise the kids try to hold on until they get home,” he said.

“The drainage pipes are too small, so the school floods even after a few millimetres of rain. One room has four different bits of carpet.”

Ms Car said the maintenance neglect was just another problem the government was now facing.

“Some children are now learning in substandard conditions,” she said.

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