The Scottish Government has been accused of misleading parliament over delays in announcing funding support for the Dumfries Learning Town project.
A decision on the multi-million pound project was due by the end of 2022 but there have been three “deadlines” missed by the Scottish Government since then.
At the latest education committee, chairman Richard Brodie provided an update.
He said: “You’ll remember that on Dumfries Learning Town I was tasked by the education committee to write to the cabinet secretary and I did so before the Easter break. It took a long time to get a reply but I believe we won’t hear until September about the results of our bid which was due at the end of 2022.
“If we’re optimistic we’ll say in the coming days but if we’re pessimistic like me we’ll say September.”
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has hit out at Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth over the “completely unacceptable” situation.
Ms Gilruth had previously said that she would be revealing which bidders had secured funding “before the end of this parliamentary session”, which broke up last week.
Mr Smyth said: “On December 22, 2021, the Scottish Government told parliament the projects that will form phase three will be announced ‘within 12 months’ but, 18 months on, we are no further forward.
“In May, Jenny Gilruth said a funding announcement would be made in June and then she backtracked to it being before the end of the parliamentary
session.
“None of these ‘deadlines’ have transpired and Dumfries Learning Town is no further forward.
“We’re in the situation where the education secretary has misled the Scottish Parliament and it is completely unacceptable.”
He added: “We’ve got schools such as Dumfries Academy and Loreburn Primary deteriorating and the longer it takes to start work on them, the more expensive it will become.
“When new schools were built in many other parts of the region, pupils and teachers at Dumfries Academy and Loreburn were put to the back of the queue for
years.
“Now it’s in doubt whether they will ever see school buildings fit for purpose for both and that is utterly
shocking.
“The fight to get Dumfries Learning Town completed in its entirety has been rumbling on for years, and parents and pupils are getting sick of the constant delays and
excuses.”
