Hundreds of additional school buildings in England may be dangerous and in danger of collapsingsaid today the British Minister of Education, after authorities asked 104 schools to close completely or some of their buildings as old and non-durable cement was found in them.

The revelations about the collapsing school buildings, just days before the start of the new school year, have angered parents and teachers and are a new political headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The issue reinforces the impression that vital public infrastructure in Britain is crumbling.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the government was still waiting for a response from around 10% of the 15,000 schools in England to which questionnaires have been sent to identify those in trouble.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Cement (RAAC), a lightweight form of cement that was often used in walls, floors and ceilings from the 1960s to the 1980s, has been found in these buildings. However, it is now considered weak and unsafe.

Keegan said schools where RAAC is suspected to have been used will be inspected over the next two weeks.

“Most will not contain RAAC,” he assured BBC radio. “It could be hundreds more.”

Most of the schools affected will be able to operate as normal, the British government said.

Stepping up the pressure on the British prime minister, the former permanent secretary for education said that when he was finance minister Sunak halved the annual budget for school building repairs, when the agency had asked him to double it.

“We have pointed out that there is a serious risk to life if this program is not funded,” Jonathan Slater underlined. “I was surprised when I saw (…) the decision taken by the government.”

The opposition accused Sunak of “putting children’s lives at risk” while pointing out that he ignored repeated warnings about the collapsing schools.