Education

Building for the future

The Department of Education and Skills has announced plans to complete 310 major school projects in the next five years. 

Speaking at the Scoil Bhríde Boys National School in Blanchardstown, the Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD announced a new school building plan that will refurbish or create a total of 310 schools in Ireland.

Running from 2016-2021, the money for this project, which is predicted to cost around €2.8 billion, will be found in the €4 billion ring-fenced for education.

The breakdown of the new school builds is as follows:

•   154 new school buildings and major extensions at primary level;

•   126 new school buildings and major extensions at post-primary level;

•   30 new special school buildings and extensions.

The Minister outlined how the project will benefit children and young people across the nation by providing new school places and facilities. The schools will, she hopes, help secure Ireland’s economic recovery and ensure that that there are good jobs available for children upon their graduation.

“Education is the engine room of our recovery and the government knows that if we plan to make Ireland a global leader it all starts in the classroom,” said O’Sullivan. “It is important to be able to learn and study hard at school, and for our part, we want to ensure children are educated in brand-new, state-of-the-art facilities which will in turn open up more opportunities for future generations.”

Over the next three years, primary and secondary schools are expected to see an additional 25,000 and 15,000 pupils enter their corridors respectively. The Department of Education and Skills predict that, after years of strong growth, by 2018 primary school numbers should reach their peak and then begin to decline. However, the growth at second level is set to continue for another decade. Between now and 2025, it is estimated that more than 41,000 additional secondary level school places will be needed.

Turning her attention to Ireland’s economic recovery, O’Sullivan claimed that the programme will result in more than 5,000 people being kept in full time employment over the next six years. She also claimed that for the first time since 2011, less than 200,000 people are currently unemployed and that unlike much of Ireland’s economic recovery so far, the project isn’t Dublin centric. 

“The school building projects, by virtue of being needed in every county of Ireland, will ensure that this employment is also spread throughout Ireland,” said O’Sullivan. “As Ireland’s economy recovers, Fine Gael and Labour are ensuring that our investments are made wisely.

“Over the next six years we will invest approximately €2.8 billion in providing high-quality school accommodation throughout the country. This is a very tangible sign of our commitment to educational investment.

“This investment plan is about looking to the future and ensuring that Ireland’s school infrastructure is well prepared to accommodate the nation’s growing school population. The number of children attending both primary and post-primary schools is continuing to grow and this project provides for a long-term, planned approach that is in the best interests of our future students and their parents.

“This plan also addresses the requirements of many schools which are in need of upgrading and refurbishment, although they may not be experiencing significant demographic pressure.”

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