Source: Radio New Zealand
Schools had to spend thousands to replace carpet, curtains and other items contaminated by play sand containing asbestos. Supplied
The Education Ministry says it will help 65 schools cover the bill for last year’s clean up of asbestos-contaminated sand.
The ministry said it approved one-off grants totalling $1.4 million for removal, decontamination and make-good costs.
It said 127 schools applied for $1.66m between them but about half were turned down, mostly because they wanted recompense for asbestos testing, which the grant did not fund.
The payments followed the discovery of asbestos in some varieties of coloured sand last year.
Dozens of schools and early childhood centres were forced to shut at the time.
The Ministry of Education said in December of last year that it was setting up the scheme to provide support to schools having to spend thousands of dollars replacing contaminated carpet, curtains and other items.
At the time it said only schools “experiencing financial difficulty” would receive reimbursement for asbestos-testing costs.
Early learning services were not being included in the support scheme, the ministry previously said, as they were privately owned entities co-funded with government subsidies and parents fees.
Whānau Manaaki chief executive Amanda Coulston said last year the not-for-profit had spent $40,000 on testing for 13 of its kindergartens at the time and estimated the final cost to be between $300,000 and $350,000.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand