Plans for more than 30 new primary schools - most in the rapidly-developing areas of Dublin - have been announced by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin. Seán Flynn, Education Editor, reports.
Eight of the new schools are in Fingal region, where the Department of Education and the local authority have been blamed for their failure to provide adequate school places.
In order to speed up the process, the new schools are being built off-site. The hope is that they will be in place for next September, although planning difficulties could delay some projects.
Yesterday, Ms Hanafin said "where suitable sites are available, permanent schools are being delivered. The remainder are temporary schools, pending finalisation of suitable permanent sites. Plans are well advanced for these schools and planning permission applications are being lodged."
Details of the building programme come as the Department of Education attempts to deal with the projected increase of 100,000 in primary school numbers over the next decade.
"We need to be in a position to ensure that we can deliver the maximum number of school places in order to meet the increased school population," Ms Hanafin said.
The Minister added that in addition to the post-primary school projects progressing to construction over the next number of months, construction is also expected to commence in 2008 on the first bundle of public-private partnership post-primary schools.
Ms Hanafin also said that more than 250 projects previously announced - that had not yet started construction - "should position themselves to go on site in 2008 and complete their projects where possible before the end of the year".
John Carr, Irish National Teachers' Organisation general secretary, said yesterday's announcement would be the cause of extreme disappointment in dozens of schools which have been waiting for years to progress urgently-needed building works.
"There is no mention of Kilfinnane NS in Limerick, Gaelscoil Barra in Dublin, Rahan NS in Cork or Gaelscoil Chluain Meala in Tipperary, to name just four."
He said many of the projects announced yesterday had been previously signalled and that the announcement contained only partial information. He called on the Minister to publish a complete list of all school projects in the building programme, together with indicative times for completion.