But the schoolyard transformations are being overshadowed by a litany of planning and costing mistakes, according to local member and opposition spokesman for education, Adrian Piccoli.

Mr Piccoli said tradesmen were “having a field day” with the scheme, many inflating their quotes up to four times the normal figure, while some schools are being forced to erect buildings they don’t need.

At Yenda Public, a new hall was earmarked for a spot which already had an outdoor learning area because the Department of Education used an outdated Google Earth map to select the best site.

“The Google Earth issue has been resolved but it’s an indication of how rushed the scheme has been,” Mr Piccoli said.

“It’s costing the taxpayer three or four times what it ought to cost because companies see the Government wants to spend all this money and they see it as an opportunity to charge exhorbitant amounts.

“Of course, that’s the nature of business but the taxpayer isn’t exactly getting value for money.”

Mr Piccoli said some schools were also being forced to build structures they didn’t need.

“I have a document which says some schools weren’t allowed to bid for things they really needed, like new toilets, because the Government only wanted ‘iconic buildings’, whether that was the priority of the school or not,” he said.

“And the way the Government has handled the public schools is appalling.

“St Pat’s, which gets a similar amount to a school like Griffith North, has been able to almost rebuild the school because they’ve organised the work themselves.

They’ve been able to project manage it and get their own architect and get a lot more done than the public schools, which are organised centrally.”

But local Labor party MLC Tony Catanzariti strongly defended the scheme, saying it was providing educational facilities to local children that would not otherwise be available.