Weather and scheduling restrictions have resulted in more than a third of the federal government’s science and language projects falling behind schedule.
A Senate committee heard yesterday that of 537 science and language laboratories approved, only 349 had met the starting deadline of the end of September.
About 20 per cent of the small scale projects had not begun, despite a starting deadline of July.
The government’s Science and Language Centres for 21st Century is part of its Building An Education Revolution stimulus program and is wroth a total of $821.8 million.
The money is to be used on projects such as building science laboratories or language learning centres in secondary schools.
The Minister for Education approved the 280 science centres, 179 language centres and 78 dual facilities construction and refurbishment projects on June 30, with the requirement that work begins by September 30.
National co-ordinator of the program, Catherine Wall, told the committee that some projects had been postponed because they couldn't be undertaken while students were at school, while others had been delayed by weather or because they were being combined with other projects.
In the largest element of the building stimulus package, the ‘Primary Schools for the 21st Century worth, $14.1 billion, just over 8000 projects or approximately 75 per cent have begun.
The minister’s office did not return Architecture and Designs’ inquiry in time for publication.
