In the Senedd yesterday, James Evans MS raised Powys County Council’s suggestion that schools can ‘cease photocopying’ in order to save money.
The suggestion was revealed in a meeting of the Learning and Skills Committee.
Evans said “proposals for schools from the council include turning off laptops and ceasing photocopying. I'm not exactly sure how much of £1.7 million will be saved from stopping photocopying in schools, but this seems an inadequate way of treating our teachers and our children.”
Pointing to an alternative way of saving money, Evans asked “what support is the Welsh Government giving to schools to make them more energy efficient, so that can help school budgets?”
Education Minister Jeremy Miles replied by calling for “reasonable cost-saving measures”, adding “it's really important that we can make sure our school estate is futureproofed in terms of its energy needs”.
James said:
“Let’s be honest, stopping photocopying is just a ridiculous suggestion from Powys Council.
“This is the cabinet tinkering around the edges. We need a long-term plan for cost-efficiency, without reducing the quality of education.
“That’s why I want to see energy efficiency in schools, which has the potential to bring meaningful savings.”
